Grants and Contributions

SHIFT Energy makes cutting energy consumption at your chilled water plant facility automatic with a patent-approved solution that works with existing building automation systems and equipment. Shift Energy is developing an Optimal Control solution using machine learning technology that automatically optimizes the performance of your chilled water plant to reduce energy consumption by 30%. That means lower carbon emissions, lower costs and a technology solution that will help reach a net-zero 2050 climate goal in support of global decarbonization.

Plastic packaging is responsible for significant soil pollution, water pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions. Compostable and fully recyclable packaging materials have the potential to displace single-use plastics in the food-packaging industry, but these sustainable alternatives have poor moisture-barrier properties so can’t keep food fresh.

Nfinite Nanotechnology Inc., a Waterloo startup company, has developed barrier coating technology for sustainable packaging. The technology enables solvent-free, open-air coating at high throughput on flexible packaging materials. It produces coatings with excellent moisture-barrier properties that are only a few tens of nanometers thick, so they do not affect the biodegradability or recyclability of the sustainable packaging.

In this project, Nfinite is setting up infrastructure to test its barrier coatings with packaging suppliers and consumer-packaged-goods companies. Together they aim to tackle the global plastic-waste challenge.

Vive uses precision chemistry to deliver new possibilities for farmers. Vive has modified its proprietary Allosperse™ delivery technology to solve formulation issues with biopesticides. This will enable the development of hybrid synthetic-biological pesticide products for major Canadian crops (Canola, wheat and pulses). Biopesticides are viewed as less toxic and more environmentally friendly by consumers and regulators, compared to synthetic pesticide counterparts; however, they are not as widely adopted because of certain drawbacks: They have inconsistent reproducibility of product efficacy in open field situations; limited product shelf-life; poor transferability of standard formulation methods; and poor compatibility with conventional chemical pesticides. Vive is partnering with leading biopesticide manufacturers to develop hybrid synthetic-biopesticide products specifically tailored for key Canadian crops: Canola, wheat, and pulses. These hybrid synthetic-biopesticide products will have the proven reliability of the synthetic pesticide but will also offer a secondary mode of action of a biological pesticide. Vive will develop, test, register and work with our partners to sell these products using a business model successfully developed in prior SDTC projects, delivering jobs and launching products commercially. This product concept is the key to drive further adoption of biological pesticides in mainstream agriculture.

The purpose of this project is to support the creation of Sub-Projects that provide youth participants with quality employment opportunities and skills training in the natural resources sector (energy, forestry, mining, and earth sciences, as well as clean technology), which advances environmental outcomes and supports the transition to a low-carbon economy.

The purpose of this project is to support the creation of Sub-Projects that provide youth participants with quality employment opportunities and skills training in the natural resources sector (energy, forestry, mining, and earth sciences, as well as clean technology), which advances environmental outcomes and supports the transition to a low-carbon economy.

The purpose of this project is to support the creation of Sub-Projects that provide youth participants with quality employment opportunities and skills training in the natural resources sector (energy, forestry, mining, and earth sciences, as well as clean technology), which advances environmental outcomes and supports the transition to a low-carbon economy.

The purpose of this project is to support the creation of Sub-Projects that provide youth participants with quality employment opportunities and skills training in the natural resources sector (energy, forestry, mining, and earth sciences, as well as clean technology), which advances environmental outcomes and supports the transition to a low-carbon economy.

The purpose of this project is to support the creation of Sub-Projects that provide youth participants with quality employment opportunities and skills training in the natural resources sector (energy, forestry, mining, and earth sciences, as well as clean technology), which advances environmental outcomes and supports the transition to a low-carbon economy.

The purpose of this project is to support the creation of Sub-Projects that provide youth participants with quality employment opportunities and skills training in the natural resources sector (energy, forestry, mining, and earth sciences, as well as clean technology), which advances environmental outcomes and supports the transition to a low-carbon economy.

The purpose of this project is to support the creation of Sub-Projects that provide youth participants with quality employment opportunities and skills training in the natural resources sector (energy, forestry, mining, and earth sciences, as well as clean technology), which advances environmental outcomes and supports the transition to a low-carbon economy.