Next Generation Manufacturing Canada (NGen) is investing $21.4 million into 15 advanced manufacturing projects across the country.
NGen, a federally funded innovation cluster, recently started accepting applications for projects looking to participate in its $100-million sustainable manufacturing challenge.
The projects come out of three different NGen streams, including the Commercialization of Quantum Technologies program, the Electric Vehicle Manufacturing Value Chain program (EVMP), and the space-oriented Moonshot program. NGen said that, alongside its investment and $37.4 million in industry contributions, the total value of the projects add up to nearly $59 million.
The four projects in the Commercialization of Quantum Technologies stream received $5.6 million of NGen funding and $8.5 million in industry contributions across four projects.
Sherbrooke, Que.-based Nord Quantique, alongside Toronto partner OTI Lumionics, headlines this program with their project titled Quantum Simulations for Materials Discovery. The project aims to develop and test a quantum computing platform capable of simulating material properties for industrial applications. Nord Quantique, which develops processors for quantum computing, recently claimed it achieved a new milestone for error correction in quantum computing.
Another project in this stream comes from Québec City-based advanced manufacturing startup Femtum, which closed more than $5 million CAD in seed funding for its semiconductor-focused laser technology earlier this year. Its project, titled Advanced Processes using Pulsed Lasers for Integrated Quantum Chips, is being developed alongside fellow Québec firm WhalePiX and research centre Solution Novika.
The Moonshot stream is a $5-million program aimed at supporting the development of novel “In-Situ Resource Utilization” (ISRU) solutions for mining, minerals, and manufacturing in both lunar and terrestrial environments. ISRU refers to the ability to make use of the natural resources that are local to a mission site. The six projects in this stream received a collective $4.6-million contribution from NGen and industry partners.
RELATED: NGen launches $100-million sustainable manufacturing challenge, calls for project proposals
One project in this stream, dubbed Swarm Construction, comes from the Canada Space Mining Corporation and Ottawa-based startup Mission Control. The project will evaluate additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing, techniques for use on Earth and in lunar environments.
Finally, the EVMP stream comes with the largest financial commitment of the streams, with five projects receiving $13.5 million in NGen backing and $26.5 million in industry funding. Some projects in this stream are looking to recycle graphite for use in lithium-ion batteries and develop advanced manufacturing processes for heat exchangers.
NGen aims to bring manufacturers, tech companies, innovation centres, and researchers together by providing federal funding and business support to projects that develop or scale up manufacturing solutions in Canada. NGen claims that it has approved 211 cluster projects from 483 industry partners and 313 research groups to date, resulting in the creation of 66 companies.
NGen recently started accepting applications for projects looking to participate in its $100-million sustainable manufacturing challenge, a new stream aiming to reduce energy use, natural resource consumption, and waste in Canadian manufacturing.
Feature image courtesy Unsplash. Photo by Louis Reed.