The Canadian Government will invest over $20.8 million in seven Burnaby-based businesses and organizations in life sciences, manufacturing, and technology. Burnaby is a British Columbia-based hub for companies innovating in sectors such as biotechnology, life sciences, alternative energy, and clean technology. This funding will help the recipients commercialize new products, acquire advanced technologies and increase sales. The announcement was made at the British Columbia Institute for Technology’s (BCIT) Centre for Applied Research and Innovation.
Among the recipients, Minister Sajjan and Minister Beech announced support of over $1.9 million for BCIT to establish AAMTECH, an advanced additive manufacturing prototyping hub.
Since the high cost to acquire and operate AM equipment is a barrier for businesses looking to develop and commercialize new concepts, this project will provide local small- and medium-sized enterprises with access to technology and expertise that will allow them to print prototypes with a wide variety of materials including advanced composites, metals, foods and bio-manufacturing, using advanced 3D printing technology. This hub will support an estimated 60 businesses, help bring 90 products or services to market and provide training opportunities.
This funding is being provided through three PacifiCan programs: The Regional Innovation Ecosystems program, Business Scale-up and Productivity program, and the Jobs and Growth Fund. These programs are supporting advanced manufacturing, digital technology, clean technology and business growth.
It is expected that this funding will generate 284 jobs.
“Today’s announcement furthers the important work of the BCIT Centre for Applied Research and Innovation – creating practical learning opportunities for BCIT students, while providing practical solutions to industry challenges. With the PacifiCan funding for the new Advanced Additive Manufacturing Technology (AAMTECH) Hub, BCIT continues to grow our breadth of support across multiple manufacturing sectors including metals, composites, foods, and bio-manufacturing. Businesses, organizations, and BCIT researchers and students now have a truly state-of-the-art space to build innovation in the 3D-printing arena,” Dr. Jeff Zabudsky, President, BCIT explains.
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