Verschuren Centre

DEVELOPING INDUSTRY SOLUTIONS & OPPORTUNITIES
TO GROW A SUSTAINABLE ECONOMY

The Verschuren Centre for Sustainability in Energy and the Environment was established to facilitate a transition to a green and circular economy through supporting innovative clean technology commercialization. The centre has an established team of expertise in key areas in order to assist companies advance IP and accelerate uptake in manufacturing and primary production industries. Areas of specialty include industrial and agriculture bioprocessing, carbon and polymer materials, thermal energy transitioning & storage and climate mitigation in aquaculture. Through the Centre's collaborative approach and cutting edge pilot scale test facilities clients can develop their IP, while connecting with partners, markets and business development support to reach their market.

Located on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, home to world-class natural resources and Canada’s most progressive climate change laws, the Centre is well-positioned to bridge the gap from bench to commercialization through provision of large piloting facilities alongside supportive technical teams for process and product optimization.

Learn more about Nova Scotia’s Community of Interest, a collaboration mechanism intended to drive decarbonization by accelerating the transition of Next Generation Materials from benchtop to real world environments.

Research Themes

The Verschuren Centre (VC) is an industrial solutions, development and deployment centre, advancing sustainable resource management in our key fields of expertise - Renewable energy, Bio-processing, Aquaculture and Carbon Materials. We are directly engaged with, and responsive to, industry and economic development needs, providing opportunities for process and product development, technology improvement, and enhancements in sustainability.

When companies invest at the VC, they get results – in contrast with larger institutions where action is slower and return on investment not always evident. What makes the VC unique relates in part to the “living laboratory” at our doorstep: the surrounding biosphere lakes, the Atlantic Ocean and the natural resources of unmatched tidal, geothermal and wind energy, as well as world renowned ecosystems challenged by climate change indicative of global challenges. Our well-equipped state-of-the-art lab facility, plus demonstration capabilities (aquaculture, greenhouse & pilot bio-refinery), enable transformations from the research bench to pilot, which positions us perfectly to fill the void between bench and reality for technology advancement.