The Manitoba government will invest an additional $536,000 in the Composites Innovation Centre (CIC) this year, bringing total provincial funding to $1.36 million for 2013-14, and supporting composite research and development that will attract new business opportunities and encourage Canadian and foreign investment, Jobs and the Economy Minister Theresa Oswald announced.

“The Composites Innovation Centre is keeping our province on the leading edge of composite research and innovation in Canada,” said Oswald.  “This investment will support a variety of CIC projects that enable Manitoba companies to develop and manufacture new materials and products, particularly in the aerospace, ground transportation and infrastructure sectors.”

The CIC celebrates its 10th anniversary this year.  Since its inception in 2003, it has become Canada’s largest composite technology centre.  It has helped achieve significant industry growth in Manitoba, initiating 305 projects with 110 industry partners and 40 government agencies. 

This includes supporting the development of the Boeing 787 aircraft, which created over 500 jobs at Boeing Winnipeg, developing 51 technologies and 17 new processing capabilities transferred to industry and now in commercial use, and conducting research to further the development of natural fibres to support their use in industrial applications.

“We congratulate the Composites Innovation Centre on the celebration of its 10th anniversary,” said Oswald.  “We look forward to our continued partnership, working together to create jobs and economic growth, and helping Manitoba companies remain competitive in an increasingly challenging global marketplace.”

From 2004 to 2013, the province contributed $10.1 million to the Composites Innovation Centre, with a matching contribution from the federal government under the Canada-Manitoba Economic Partnership Agreement.

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.

The Composites Innovation Centre is a not-for-profit corporation located at 158 Commerce Dr. in the Tuxedo Business Park.  It is jointly sponsored by private industry and government, and its mandate is to support and stimulate economic growth through innovative research, development and application of composite materials and technologies for manufacturing industries.