McCain Foods Canada receives research support of Province of New Brunswick

The provincial government of New Brunswick is investing $5 million in a research and development project at McCain Foods (Canada) which will see the company work with small and medium-sized businesses and researchers from New Brunswick to pursue process improvement, product development and soil remediation initiatives.

"We are pleased to partner with McCain Foods as they create new opportunities for our economy through research and development projects which will have an impact all the way across their production chain, from our local farms to the grocery shelves," said Premier David Alward. "Our plan to create jobs and make life better in New Brunswick communities is focused on working with local industries to spur innovation and build a stronger foundation for growth."

The funding will be used toward a five-year project, with the company providing $5 million in matching funds, that focuses on process improvements including ways to reduce waste through technological means, as well as soil remediation and agrological analytics using drone technology.

"We are delighted to partner with the province on this very important initiative and are pleased that the research and innovation will be done here in New Brunswick and will have far-reaching benefits," said Allison McCain, company chair. "We will be partnering with a number of other New Brunswick companies to achieve our objectives and our agricultural work will help all farmers."

The project will be led by McCain Foods in close collaboration with the Research and Productivity Council, the University of New Brunswick, Stantec, Motion Fab/Apex Industries, Eigen Innovation, Solanum Genomics, Envirem Organics, Resson Aerospace, ADM Systems, Hyton Innovation, and the Department of Agriculture, Aquaculture and Fisheries.

The investment will leverage an additional $10 million in research and development investments which could contribute to the creation of more than 150 new jobs in addition to an anticipated impact on the gross domestic product of $60 million, depending upon the success of the initiative.

The development project will also have a significant impact on building research capacity in provincial research institutions.

Funding is being provided through the province's $15-million Industry Innovation Challenge. Launched last October, the New Brunswick Research and Innovation Council unveiled a provincial competition designed to identify large-scale industry research and development initiatives which will mobilize provincial assets to fuel economic growth.

The Industry Innovation Challenge will provide up to $5 million per initiative which will be matched by industry proponents and further augmented through partnerships with other provincial and federal industrial research and development programs. The initiatives will be led and implemented by industry over a period of up to five years, either through an individual company or an industry consortium, and will mobilize public research capacity in the province in support of its objectives.

"The industry competition is a major part of our government's $80 million investment in innovation as well as research and development," added Alward. "These types of investments will boost collaboration between industry and researchers in the years to come."

McCain Foods is the second initiative chosen under the Industry Innovation Challenge. Successful initiatives were chosen under the stewardship of the New Brunswick Research and Innovation Council through an arm's length competitive process.

The New Brunswick Research and Innovation Council was created through legislation in June 2013 to provide advice to the provincial government with respect to research, innovation and the commercialization of technology. The council has representation from industry, provincial research foundations and post-secondary institutions. The lead ministers for economic development and post-secondary institutions as well as the Leader of the Opposition also sit on the council.