Early Stage Commercialization Fund: 2024-2025 Funded Projects

Invest Nova Scotia’s Early Stage Commercialization Fund (ESCF) helps move Nova Scotia university, college and university-affiliated hospital research to market. In 2024-2025, we were pleased to team up again with the Department of Natural Resources and Renewables (DNRR) to support ESCF projects focused on technologies that reduce carbon emissions (we've noted that project below).

Below is a list of the 2024-2025 funded projects.

Fall 2024 Round

DALHOUSIE UNIVERSITY

• Researchers: Janie Wilson 
  Project: Knee osteoarthritis decision support tool
• Researchers: Paola Marcato
  Project: Immunotherapy for cancer treatment
• Researchers: Alison Thompson
  Project: High-sensitivity opto-electronic hydrogen-sensor platform (ESCF funding matched by DNRR)
• Researcher: Aaron Newman
  Project: Gaming headset to control video games using brain signals

Winter 2025 Round

DALHOUSIE UNIVERSITY

• Researchers: Vahid Adibnia
  Project: Methods for controlled delivery of polyphosphates for accelerated blood clotting
• Researchers: Locke Davenport Huye
  Project:  Long-term delivery biomimetic therapeutic strategy for periodontal disease
• Researcher: Shelley Adamo 
  Project: Tick-killing natural product 

NOVA SCOTIA HEALTH AUTHORITY

• Researcher:  Ivan Wong 
  Project (Phase II): Virtual orthopaedic teaching tool 

NOTE:

In 2024-2025, Invest Nova Scotia helped support two research projects at Dalhousie University through the Ocean Frontier Institute (OFI)'s Seed Fund. The support came from Invest Nova Scotia’s ESCF budget since OFI's competition shared ESCF's goal of encouraging technology commercialization at post-secondary institutions.

• Researcher: Jiankang (Adam) Yang 
  Project: Particle setting during biomass injection into sediment mud for innovative marine carbon dioxide removal
• Researcher: Christopher Algar
  Project: In situ sediment dissolution experiments of OAE feedstock on the seafloor of Halifax Harbour and the implications for ocean alkalinity enhancement carbon dioxide removal (OAE-CDR)