The Manitoba government will invest $2.88 million in the Composites Innovation Centre (CIC) over the next two years to create jobs in Manitoba industries that use advanced composite materials, Jobs and the Economy Minister Theresa Oswald announced today.
"This new investment in CIC will support continued innovation in advanced composites, which is critical to good Manitoba jobs, particularly in the aerospace and vehicle manufacturing sectors," said Minister Oswald. "It will also attract new business opportunities and leverage significant private investment in Manitoba."
Provincial support for CIC will include $2.73 million over two years to renew realizing a vision for composites manufacturing in Manitoba. The province will also invest $157,000 over two years from the Manitoba Research and Innovation Fund for a CIC Bio-composite Design Theory Development project. That project, in collaboration with the Cooperative Research Centre - Advanced Composite Structures (CRS-ACS) in Queensland, Australia, will leverage $3.9 million ($AUD) in matching international support. All provincial monies invested will remain in Manitoba.
Minister Oswald noted the CIC has become Canada's largest composite technology centre. It has helped achieve significant industry growth in Manitoba, initiating 346 projects with 119 industry partners and 40 government agencies. CIC supported the development of new advanced commercial jet aircraft at Boeing Winnipeg including the new 787 Dreamliner and other advanced composite projects that created 500 jobs.
"We are very appreciative of the Province of Manitoba and its support, through the CIC, to the composites industry," said Sean McKay, president and CEO, CIC. "We are now able to focus the resources, capabilities and leading-edge composite knowledge we have developed over the last 10 years to expand and grow new and existing businesses in the region."
The Composites Innovation Centre is a non-profit organization established in 2003 to support technology development and commercialization of composites materials and processes for the aerospace, ground transportation, agriculture and industrial sectors in Manitoba and western Canada. Since 2003, the Manitoba government has contributed more than $10.8 million to the CIC, the minister said.
"Since the inception of Composites Innovation Centre, over 800 composite manufacturing-related jobs have been created in Manitoba, largely in the ground transportation and aerospace industries," said Minister Oswald. "Composite manufacturing firms currently employ 2,200 Manitobans and the industry has made capital investments in excess of $200 million."
Composite materials are made by embedding strong and light strands of material, such as glass fibres or carbon threads, in a plastic material such as resin. When cured, the final product is strong and lightweight. Composites replace metal parts to reduce weight and save energy, reduce the number of parts needed and lower assembly costs. In Manitoba, composites are used in aerospace and transportation manufacturing.