Grants and Contributions

Expansion of local recording/production studio into a new larger and updated facility.

Medical Imaging Equipment for Applied R&D.

To extend current CIINO-funded economic development officer position for 3 years.

To develop a feasibility study of the potential of the commercial fishery in Treaty Three territory.

Using the Stage-Gate Process for New Product Development, Innovative Automation will focus this project on the Discovery, Scope and Business Case for several ideas for RoboSuite applications, to determine which ideas are most viable for the market. Specifically, the firm will investigate opportunities to standardize the automation of several technologies to align with their RoboTape product launched in 2020.

Pea root rot complex is a serious threat to pea and lentil production in the Canadian prairies because there is limited genetic resistance in pea and there is no effective fungicide treatment. As a result, novel methods of root rot disease control are in urgent demand by pea farmers. The plant root microbiome includes microbes that can kill fungal and oomycete pathogens, including those present in the pea root rot complex. In this project, the aim is to identify the host and microbial genetic factors that recruit beneficial microbes to promote resistance of pea to root rot diseases. The Haney Lab at UBC studies genetics and genomics of beneficial Pseudomonas fluorescens interactions with plants; these bacteria will be used as an example of beneficial rhizosphere microbes in this project. The Haney lab also has a collection of hundreds of genome-sequenced P. fluorescens isolates including many with characterized antifungal activity. First, genome-sequenced isolates of P. fluorescens will be used in a highthroughput phenotyping approach coupled with a well-established comparative genomics, transcriptomics and metabolomics pipeline. This will identify bacterial strains, genes and mechanisms that allow Pseudomonas strains to kill root rot pathogens. To identify plant genes that recruit beneficial P. fluorescens, we will screen pea genotypes from an association mapping (AM) panel available from our NRC collaborator. This information will be used in a genome wide association study (GWAS) or traditional mapping to identify pea genetic factors that can recruit beneficial P. fluorescens.The Project goal is to deliver bacterial strains or genetic loci that can control root rot pathogens of pea, and pea cultivars, genes or genetic markers that are associated with disease-suppressive microbiomes. This work will provide an avenue to breed pea varieties that sustain high levels of beneficial microbes, and for application of beneficial microbes to control root rot disease in the field.

Very weak light, known as biophotons, are emitted spontaneously by living organisms, but the origin, wavelength emission spectrum and the mechanism for this emission have not been clearly identified, although energy metabolic processes seem to be involved. Moreover, neurons react to light stimuli, and biophotons can be conducted along neuronal fibres following chemical activation. Thus, it has been conjectured that biophotons are involved in neural communication. The objective of the Project is to use quantum technologies for single photon level imaging and detection to elucidate the properties of the biophotons in brain activity. The main challenge of imaging biophotons is their low intensity, which requires
detectors displaying high sensitivity and very low noise levels. To resolve biophoton detection in biological samples, the Project team will use singlephoton imaging cameras, spanning the visible to shortwave infrared spectrum, coupled with spectral filters to achieve spatial and spectral resolution. These approaches will be benchmarked against superconducting nano-wire single-photon detectors.

SBQuantum (SBQ) is introducing ‘Magnetic Intelligence’ (MI), combining multiple innovations in magnetometry to enhance operational teams’ ability to ‘see’ underground, underwater or in other obscured environments. The Project will involve collaboration between SBQuantum, McGill University, Institut Quantique at Université de Sherbrooke and the National Research Council to explore the use of a novel quantum sensor, a magnetometer based on quantum impurities in diamonds, to enhance the understanding of the magnetic environment compared to conventional magnetometers. It will improve users understanding of magnetic data and open novel market opportunities, beyond the traditional defense and geophysical applications. SBQ intends to create a new system which will leverage the strengths of the quantum sensor to enhance MI, to be known as the ‘Sherloq’ product. Centrally it will remove the limits to current alternatives and unlock new deployment methods, such as on autonomous submarines and unmanned aerial vehicles.

SBQuantum (SBQ) is introducing ‘Magnetic Intelligence’ (MI), combining multiple
innovations in magnetometry to enhance operational teams’ ability to ‘see’ underground,underwater or in other obscured environments. The Project will involve collaboration between SBQuantum, McGill University, Institut Quantique at Université de Sherbrooke and the National Research Council to explore the use of a novel quantum sensor, a magnetometer based on quantum impurities in diamonds, to enhance the understanding of the magnetic environment compared to conventional magnetometers. It will improve users understanding of magnetic data and open novel market opportunities, beyond the traditional defense and geophysical applications. SBQ intends to create a new system which will leverage the strengths of the quantum sensor to enhance MI, to be known as the ‘Sherloq’product. Centrally it will remove the limits to current alternatives and unlock new deployment methods, such as on autonomous submarines and unmanned aerial vehicles.

The Cheese Factory’s goal is to significantly increase and further optimize production at the current location, including expanding into an adjacent property. Automating production of the primary product, Beer Cheese is the vital element of the project that will allow the organization to meet current demand and attain significant growth. Retaining the current location allows The Cheese Factory to maintain its historic and high-profile location, where handcrafted cheese is produced. A transition into the adjacent property will facilitate expansion of the production space, the retail store and establish a small restaurant where the public can experience cheeses and other products.