New Brunswick R&D Gets Boost With Eight New Research Positions

FREDERICTON, NB—The New Brunswick Innovation Foundation (NBIF) today announced the funding recipients for its 2012 Research Technician Initiative.

Funded in partnership with the New Brunswick Department of Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour (PETL), the $530,000 in funding, ranging from $55,000 to $70,000 per project, partially covers the salary and benefits for eight new research technicians over three years. The funding is equally matched by each research institution for a total commitment of more than $1 million.

Some of the R&D includes a paper-based, recyclable, and heat-sealable strap for securing cardboard boxes; a new fuel pellet made from willow trees and large perennial grasses, and a crop disease-fighting compound derived from bacteria that naturally occurs around plant roots.

For a complete list of recipients, including a short description of the technology they are developing and the research they are conducting, click here.

“When researchers experience a breakthrough in their science, and find themselves on the path from formulas to real products and processes, additional research talent is needed to bring those products to life,” says NBIF Chair Dr. Robert Hatheway, “there’s only so much one person can do, and when they’re on to something good, we need to provide them with the resources they need to turn their research into economic opportunities.”

Eight new positions will be created to help eight New Brunswick research teams to develop and commercialize their innovations.

« Our government is pleased to be able to support the Research Technicians Initiative of the New Brunswick Innovation Foundation, » says PETL minister Martine Coulombe. « Education and applied learning are key elements of growing New Brunswick's economy. »


Since 2003, NBIF and PETL have awarded $4 million to create 59 new positions under the Research Technician Initiative, unlocking $20 million more from recipient institutions, national granting councils and industry.