Nova Scotia Invests in Precision Fermentation Plant to Boost Client Capacity

The province of Nova Scotia is investing in the growth of its biomanufacturing sector by providing $1.2 million to the Verschuren Centre to expand its precision fermentation facility in Cape Breton.

The funding will be used to upgrade the centre's fermentation technology at the Sydport Industrial Park facility in Cape Breton Regional Municipality, which is the only operation of its scale in Canada. The facility, also known as 10X, runs a 10,000-litre precision fermentation line and uses microorganisms to produce specific proteins, fats, and other functional ingredients.

Precision fermentation is a key technology underpinning the development of dairy, egg, and other animal-free products. The investment is expected to create capacity for roughly 10 additional companies per year and an estimated 100 skilled jobs.

The funding splits evenly between two sources: $600,000 from the province's Community Economic Development Fund and $600,000 from the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA).

## Building on Earlier Public Funding

This is not the first time the province has provided funding to the Verschuren Centre. In 2022, it contributed $2.5 million toward the demonstration plant, and in 2025, it provided $1 million toward capacity and training. ACOA has also provided significant support to the project, with a total of $4.6 million in funding.

The province is positioning the Verschuren Centre and the Neptune BioInnovation Centre, a 51,000-square-foot facility in Dartmouth, as complementary stages in a domestic supply chain for fermentation-derived ingredients. This is an area currently served largely by producers in Europe and Mexico.

The investment is expected to have a far-reaching impact, creating opportunities for companies in the health and wellness, agriculture, and clean technology sectors. It will also fund the expansion of an in-house skills training program, addressing a shortage of technicians qualified to operate biomanufacturing equipment.

| Funding Source | Amount | | --- | --- | | Community Economic Development Fund | $600,000 | | Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) | $600,000 |

The investment is a key part of Nova Scotia's strategy to position itself as a hub for biomanufacturing technologies from across North America. It will create one-of-a-kind infrastructure, support skills training, and advance investment in companies' growth to commercial deployment.

According to Beth Mason, executive chair of the Verschuren Centre, "Today's joint funding helps continue the support from our partners to make Nova Scotia the hub for scale up of biomanufacturing technologies from across North America. It creates one-of-a-kind infrastructure, supports skills training and advances investment in companies' growth to commercial deployment. These companies impact sustainable manufacturing and secure food systems in Canada.