“The world is constantly evolving. And right now, it's growing exponentially and companies that don’t know how to adapt, they die. It's as simple as that.”
Jeanne Charbonneau calls herself a “social entrepreneur.”
“My whole career has been dedicated to changing the world, to making the world a better place for our children,” she says.
At the helm of CCNB’s applied research division, Innov, since May 2024, she’s now focused on making the world better for small and medium-sized enterprises in New Brunswick.
“The world is constantly evolving. And right now, it's growing exponentially and companies that don’t know how to adapt, they die. It's as simple as that.”
Innov offers an innovation lifeline to SMEs that couldn’t otherwise afford to develop proprietary solutions to business problems.
With a team of more than 30 researchers spread out across three sites—Caraquet, Bathurst, and Grand Falls—the organization works with entrepreneurs to improve productivity, address labor shortages, and prepare for the future.
Tiny transformations, huge impact
Innov completes about 100 projects a year, most of them lasting about six months. By research standards, many of the projects are small, with a total price tag (including government subsidies) of $100,000 or less.
But Charbonneau emphasizes that Innov’s impact can’t be measured by the scale of innovation. Sometimes a tiny intervention can make a huge difference to a SME.
For example, an oyster producer was manually scrubbing the plugs on oyster cases, which become calcified over time. This was labour-intensive, boring work, in an industry that struggles to attract and retain employees. Innov designed a machine to wash the plugs automatically, freeing employees to do higher-level tasks. Thanks to government funding, the cost to the business owner was just $10,000.
Often, says Charbonneau, there’s a gap between the world of research and the world of small business. Each Innov centre prides itself, however, on its ability to relate to its clients, many of whom have fewer than 10 employees.
“What often surprises our clients is our understanding of their needs and our knowledge of the factory floor,” explains Charbonneau.
Innovation embedded in the local
Each Innov centre is anchored in the local ecosystem, leveraging its strengths and responding to its demands. In Caraquet, the focus is on the marine industry, and the team there recently designed the world’s largest boat hull made of composite material. In Grand Falls, researchers specialize in the bio sector, collaborating with craft brewers, agricultural companies, and producers of biogas. They also work with municipalities to mitigate the effects of climate change, such as flooding. And in Bathurst, the team concentrates on advanced manufacturing, helping companies automate production processes, especially welding.
Looking ahead, Charbonneau dreams of expanding the network of Innov centres to other sites and other sectors, such as clean energy, healthcare, education, and construction.
Since most New Brunswick businesses aren’t large enough to have their own R&D team, Charbonneau sees Innov as playing that role for SMEs across the province and beyond.
“We become the company lab,” she says, noting that Innov researchers work in complete secrecy, protecting the client’s confidential information.
“They’re passionate people, and what drives them, what motivates them and thrills them day to day, is really helping an entrepreneur solve a problem.”
