The businesses received funding to work with experts at universities and colleges through the government's Productivity and Innovation Voucher Program.
The area firms are Tri-County Diesel and Marine of Digby, and three Saulnierville companies, Sea Crest Fisheries, Saulnierville Trawlers and Nova West Laboratory.
Comeau Sea Foods, which operates Nova West Laboratory, recently teamed with Université Sainte-Anne to discover solutions for local needs.
Under the collaborative structure of the RD&I cluster, university researchers and lab technicians will work alongside Nova West Laboratory employees to coordinate core research activities, opportunities for student apprenticeships and responsiveness to industry research and development needs.
"We have so many smart and creative people at our universities and colleges. Pairing them with entrepreneurs that have great ideas will help bring new products and services to market sooner," said Michel Samson, Minister of Economic and Rural Development and Tourism. "Supporting this kind of collaboration sets the conditions for small businesses to be successful, and positions the private sector to lead growth in our economy."
Thirty-six businesses are first-time recipients of a voucher worth up to $15,000. The voucher can be used for advice and services from academic experts in areas such as applied research, engineering services, field testing, prototyping, product design and feasibility studies.
About 300 businesses have received vouchers since the program started in 2008. The total value of this year's support is $940,000.
To be eligible, businesses must be registered to operate in Nova Scotia and have fewer than 100 employees when they apply.
