Eight new NBIF funded researchers bring new business opportunities to the province

November 3, 2015

The New Brunswick Innovation Foundation (NBIF) today announced a significant addition to the province’s innovation capacity with $670,000 in startup awards for eight new professors focused on applied research. NBIF can award up to $200,000 to assist New Brunswick universities and research organizations recruit outstanding talent. The funds are used to help prepare their laboratories and start their research programs.

One of the eight researchers, Dr. Luc Boudreau, an expert in the study and treatment of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid and osteoarthritis, has been installed at the Université de Moncton. His research includes the further development and commercialization of a topical treatment derived from propolis, a substance collected by honeybees from tree buds. They use the natural chemical to seal and varnish their honeycombs. NBIF contributed $75,000 to his research program.

Related stories:

CBC: Moncton researchers abuzz over possible arthritis treatment

HUDDLE: Arthritis Medication from Bees to Lithium-Air Batteries: NBIF Funds 8 New Researchers

“At NBIF our aim is to assist universities attract and hire researchers working on the development of new and improved products and technology,” says NBIF President and CEO Calvin Milbury, “Dr. Boudreau took this a step further by cofounding a company called NaturoBee to turn his research results into products for the market. Since part of our mandate is to bridge the gap between research and enterprise, Dr. Boudreau’s approach is a perfect fit for us.”

Another researcher, Dr. Anna Ignaszak comes to the University of New Brunswick from Germany to advance her work on lithium-oxygen battery systems for transportation fuel cells. Not yet commercialized, lithium-oxygen batteries differ from the currently used lithium-ion batteries, mostly notably their weight. Using oxygen instead of solid materials, the power system she is working on is lighter, allows for higher density energy storage. Since oxygen is freely available in the environment, it does not need to be stored in the battery like those found in today’s lithium-ion cells. NBIF contributed $120,000 to her research program.

“Dr. Ignaszak’s work is very timely considering the rapid development of electric cars and other vehicles whose efficiency is affected by weight,” says Milbury, “her work will compliment a growing cluster of stored energy research at UNB, including that of our previous startup award recipient Dr. Adam Dyker, who is working on removing heaving metals from batteries.”
For a complete list of recipients, including their research topic and origin, see below.

Recipient: Anna Ignaszak
Institution: University of New Brunswick
Amount: $120,000
Research: Lighter, more powerful lithium-oxygen batteries
Recruited from: Frederich-Schiller University, Germany

Recipient: Sachin Handa
Institution: University of New Brunswick
Amount: $100,000
Research: Treatment for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and nanoparticles for drug delivery
Recruited from: University of California, Santa Barbara

Recipient: Mohsen Mohammadi
Institution: University of New Brunswick
Amount: $75,000
Research: Lightweight alloys for automotive and aerospace construction
Recruited from: University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

Recipient: Scott Bateman
Institution: University of New Brunswick
Amount: $100,000
Research: Data capture devices for heating systems, appliances and industry
Recruited from: University of Prince Edward Island

Recipient: Suprio Ray
Institution: University of New Brunswick
Amount: $75,000
Research: The “Internet of Things” and networked objects
Recruited from: University of Toronto

Recipient: Gobinda Saha
Institution: University of New Brunswick
Amount: $75,000
Research: Smart nano-composite materials for energy/environmental applications
Recruited from: Schulich School of Engineering at University of Calgary

Recipient: Luc Boudreau
Institution: Université de Moncton
Amount: $75,000
Research: Therapies for inflammatory diseases
Recruited from: Université Laval

Recipient: François Chabot
Institution: CCNB Grand Falls
Amount: $50,000
Research: Biofuel from industrial wastewater
Recruited from: INRS (Québec)