Nine Projects Awarded Through Net Zero Atlantic’s ECT-NB to Advance Clean Tech Innovation in New Brunswick

New Brunswick’s innovation ecosystem continues to advance with renewed support for Net Zero Atlantic’s Emerging Concepts & Technologies Research Program. Funding from the New Brunswick Innovation Foundation (NBIF) is complemented by a $1.15 million investment from Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) through the Energy Innovation Program.

NRCan’s funding builds on previous contributions, which have helped advance early-stage innovation in the province. As a result, the program has expanded in scale and impact, reflecting strong uptake and increasing relevance within New Brunswick’s low-carbon economy.

The program’s third research call received twenty-eight (28) submissions, awarding nine (9) projects through two funding streams. Six projects were selected under Stream 1, supporting early-stage concept development with awards of $50,000, and three under Stream 2, supporting the evaluation and adoption of external technologies with awards of $150,000. Each project was selected for its alignment with one of eight identified provincial priority themes and its potential to contribute to economic growth and development in New Brunswick.

“NRCan’s support of the ECT-NB program is enabling work that is foundational for the creation of commercial opportunities that will reduce emissions and position New Brunswick innovators as leaders in the low-carbon economy,” said NBIF CEO, Jeff White. “New Brunswick has the ideas, talent, and resources to convert innovation into real-world solutions addressing emissions both in the province and globally.”

“Net Zero Atlantic, with support from Natural Resources Canada, is fostering the development of new clean technologies and helping Atlantic Canada become an engine of the clean economy,” says the Honourable Tim Hodgson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources. “These nine clean-tech projects are a great example of the work being done to drive innovation and power prosperity across New Brunswick.”

Since its launch in 2023, ECT-NB has supported 13 early-stage R&D projects, through two previous research calls, with $1.2 million awarded to accelerate solutions in clean energy, low-carbon technologies, and nature-based solutions. The program will continue to advance research into practical solutions that deliver tangible benefits for communities.

“ECT-NB is designed to address early-stage research gaps and support the development of innovative solutions with strong potential for real-world impact,” said Tim Bachiu, Director of Research at Net Zero Atlantic. “With support from NBIF and NRCan, the program is helping to move promising ideas forward while contributing to New Brunswick’s net-zero and economic development goals.”

The following projects were awarded funding through ECT-NB:

1. Highly Transparent Organic Solar Cells Using NIR-Absorbing SnPc Donor and C₆₀ Acceptor with Transparent Electrodes (Stream 1) — Bassel Abdel-Samad, Université de Moncton
2. Innovative Thin-Film Radiant Heater Elements (Stream 1) — Pandurang Ashrit, Université de Moncton
3. Scrubbing CO2 from Biogas using Adsorbents Derived from Recycled Plastic Bottles and Aluminum Cans (Stream 1) —- Barry Blight, University of New Brunswick
4. Demonstrating Hydrogen Storage Capability with New Brunswick Manganese-Iron Resources (Stream 2) — Felipe Chibante, University of New Brunswick
5. Validation of Safe, Water-Based, Organic Redox Flow Batteries for Large Scale Energy Storage (Stream 1) — Adam Dyker, University of New Brunswick
6. High-Performance Aluminum Alloy Conductors for GHG Emission Reduction and Enhanced Grid (Stream 1) — Emad Elgallad, Université de Moncton
7. From Waste to Growth: Developing Sustainable Growing Media for Seedling Production (Stream 2) — Rafaella Mayrinck, University of New Brunswick
8. Pilot-Scale Organic Waste Diversion to Biogas: Derisking technology adoption in New Brunswick to Support Net-Zero Carbon Goals (Stream 2) — Danika Poitras, Collège Communautaire du Nouveau-Brunswick (CCNB-INNOV)
9. High-entropy alloy (HEA) as electrocatalyst for hydrogen production (Stream 1) — Gobinda Saha, University of New Brunswick

ECT-NB is delivered with support from the Climate Momentum Program, a partnership between Opportunities New Brunswick and the New Brunswick Innovation Foundation, funded by the New Brunswick Climate Change Fund.

For more information, visit netzeroatlantic.ca/ect-apply#nb.

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Marina Maranhao
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T: +1 902-410-3245
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