HALIFAX, Aug. 25, 2017 /CNW/ - The Government of Canada is committed to growing the economy, strengthening the middle class, and helping those working hard to join it. Through the Build in Canada Innovation Program, the Government of Canada is investing in Canadian innovations to create inclusive and sustainable economic growth for communities across Canada.
Andy Fillmore, Member of Parliament for Halifax, today announced that the Government of Canada is investing in a made-in-Canada innovation that monitors the quality of bodies of water, the FluoroSea Imager. This underwater microscope can quickly and accurately detect and identify harmful algae species to help prevent and manage hazards to aquatic ecosystems and human health.
4Deep (Resolution Optics Inc.) of Halifax, Nova Scotia, received a $266,569 contract for its innovation, which will be tested by Fisheries and Oceans Canada. This investment was made through the Build in Canada Innovation Program, which helps Canadian innovators land their first sale and get their innovations tested by the Government of Canada. This program is just one of the many ways the Government of Canada supports innovation and small and medium-sized businesses across Canada.
Canadian innovators can submit their proposals on the Build in Canada Innovation Program's website.
Quotes
"Our government is supporting companies like 4Deep by matching their innovative products with government needs. The Build in Canada Innovation Program helps companies find a crucial first customer, while departments get early access to useful state-of-the-art technologies. These partnerships enable Canadian companies to grow their business while providing good middle-class jobs."
Steven MacKinnon
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Services and Procurement
"Halifax is home to some of Canada's most driven and capable innovators. 4Deep is an excellent example of the growing number of talented innovators in Halifax who are helping Canada become a global leader in innovative technologies. Our government is committed to supporting our region's innovators through the Build in Canada Innovation Program, which helps Canadian companies move their products from the lab to the marketplace."
Andy Fillmore
Member of Parliament for Halifax
"Fisheries and Oceans Canada is looking forward to testing 4Deep's FluoroSea Imager through the Build in Canada Innovation Program. This innovation can potentially fill an important gap in our monitoring programs by providing robust information about the phytoplankton community on a seasonal, annual and multi-annual basis. This would lead to a better understanding of primary production, which means the production of energy in organic compounds by living organisms, in the ocean, including the impacts of climate change on the marine food web."
Marc Ringuette
Biological Oceanographer
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
"On behalf of everyone at 4Deep, we are delighted to have been awarded a Build in Canada Innovation Program contract. Partnering over the next year with Fisheries and Oceans Canada will ensure robust and extensive testing and validation of the hardware and software. The end result should ensure global adoption of the technology for the monitoring of phytoplankton and harmful algal blooms."
Dr. Stephen Jones
Chief Executive Officer
4Deep
Quick facts
- While other water-sampling methods require significant manpower and cost and have an inherent time lag, this innovation operates on site in natural environments and provides real-time, detailed and accurate results.
- The microscope's technology is a unique combination of image analysis and fluorescence signals.
- More than 245 contracts, 20 of which were in Nova Scotia, have been awarded under the Build in Canada Innovation Program, bringing Canadian companies one step closer to selling to domestic and international markets.
- More than $105 million has been awarded in contracts since the Build in Canada Innovation Program began in 2010.
Associated links
Build in Canada Innovation Program
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SOURCE Public Services and Procurement Canada
Mary-Rose Brown, Office of the Honourable Judy M. Foote, 819-997-5421; Media Relations, Public Services and Procurement Canada, 819-420-5501, [email protected]
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