NBIF Funding New Technology Access Centre in Automation and Robotics at CCNB Bathurst

Ongoing innovation is important for our province to remain competitive. New Brunswick may be small, but we’re a scrappy bunch. At NBIF, we specialize in supporting our province’s innovators. We believe in our province’s dreamers and doers. And we can think of no better way of supporting innovation in our province than by funding institutes like CCNB.

Last week, Collège communautaire du Nouveau-Brunswick (CCNB) announced that they will receive a $2 million grant over five years to establish a Technology Access Centre (TAC) in automation and robotics at their Bathurst campus.

We’re proud to have contributed $250,000 to that total (the rest came from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, or NSERC for short).

“This Technology Access Centre will not only serve as a unifying link with a vision for Industry 4.0, putting automation and robotics at the forefront; it will also further stimulate entrepreneurship and innovation in New Brunswick and Atlantic Canada businesses,” says Dr. Sylvain Poirier, CCNB-INNOV Network Executive Director.

Over the years, we’ve watched as CCNB has provided expertise and facilities that have helped our business community thrive in a global market. We see this TAC grant from NSERC as a major milestone not only for CCNB but for New Brunswick as a whole. We’re proud to dive in and support this initiative in Bathurst.

“The $2 million in funding is going to allow CCNB to build on its already established expertise in robotics and automation. On top of that, it’s going to allow for rapid expansion of equipment and personnel,” says Dr. Laura Richard, NBIF Director of Research. “CCNB has a group of highly skilled researchers and they fill a critical gap in the space between academic advancements in automation and incorporation in real manufacturing environments. We’re really excited to see the progression of this centre and the opportunity it allows for New Brunswick industries to advance on a global stage.”

The TAC will help CCNB translate their research and development efforts into new technologies to help local businesses grow. It will also allow businesses to access special equipment they can use to suit their own needs.

Advanced manufacturing and robotics are fast-evolving technologies and Canadian companies must adapt to remain competitive. That’s why home-grown expertise and post-secondary graduates educated in cutting-edge technology are so important.

“Awarding CCNB a TAC is an essential step to helping New Brunswick move the needle through innovation,” says Dr. Richard.

In addition to our five-year $250,000 commitment, CCNB remains eligible to apply for other NBIF research funding opportunities, like our Lab-to-Market and Equipment programs. We also expect to continue supporting local SMEs in their R&D work with the CCNB Innov team via our Innovation Voucher.