Brought to you by B.C. Centre for Agritech Innovation
Partnering for scalable growth

Starting a business is no small feat, and scaling innovative products requires support, expertise and resources, both financial and otherwise.

Lucent Biosciences was founded in 2014 in an effort to reinvent plant nutrient delivery in a bioavailable, efficient and sustainable manner. Their flagship product is a soil-applied nutrient solution called Soileos, which upcycles cellulose from crop residue to deliver higher yields through increased soil health and performance. The company also produces Nutreos, a plant-based, biodegradable seed coating that delivers nutrition without microplastics.

From the initial stages of the business with just a few members, to a staff of more than 40 people, hard work and teamwork have been essential for the company’s success, says Farah Nour, Lucent’s chief science officer. Beyond that, Nour says a partnership with the B.C. Centre for Agritech Innovation (BCCAI) has been an integral part of the company’s growth.

Launched in 2022, BCCAI was created to help develop agritech solutions that support the sustainability and growth of farms and agri-producers within the province of British Columbia. With funding from Pacific Economic Development Canada and the Province of British Columbia, the centre pairs academic research and government and industry partners to develop and test solutions for agribusinesses before commercial launch.

In her own words, Nour shares an inside glimpse at what Lucent and BCCAI’s partnership looks like.

Farah Nour, chief science officer at Lucent Biosciences.

The project

“Lucent has innovative products to deliver nutrients to plants. Our initial product was Soileos. Essential micronutrients like zinc, iron and manganese impact crop yield and health, and in Western Canada and on the Prairies, we were asked for copper too, as it’s essential for wheat production. Before we sent Soileos Copper to our scale-up and engineering team, we needed to make sure the product we developed is optimized and efficient for crops. That’s how we got to know BCCAI and asked them for support. As with every new product, we run multiple trials and efficacy studies to advise farmers on best practices for using our products. With BCCAI’s help, we were able to run different trials growing wheat and optimizing our Soileos Copper product in a greenhouse and through lab testing before sending it to our scale-up team. These trials are necessary to show farmers and growers the impact of copper deficiency on wheat, and the difference between using Soileos Copper versus conventional copper resources.”

The partnership

“My research and development team is located at Simon Fraser University (SFU) and BCCAI is part of the university. Sometimes the project’s needs are more than financial. Universities don’t always know how best to collaborate with industry, and industry isn’t always sure of how to access support from universities. So BCCAI has stepped in to connect us and create a seamless partnership. For example, we are accessing three large compartments of the greenhouse for Soileos Copper product trials that belong to the biology department at SFU, and BCCAI has been able to support both us and the university to make that happen. We can’t do everything alone – that would take hundreds of years. As we grow, we are also hiring students, allowing them to develop alongside our company too – it’s a win-win.”

Agriculture is a collaborative industry and the networking has been so impactful. BCCAI hosted networking events that were very valuable for us – growing your network is so important as a start-up company. We’ve been able to find better chances to collaborate and learn more about other innovations, and connect with people within the industry.”

Looking forward

“After a successful first project, we are moving to another project: a product efficacy study with our next product, Soileos Boron. Boron is in high demand, and it’s very water soluble – as soon as any rain or irrigation happens, boron washes off from the soil. We are producing slow-release boron to make it more sustainable and efficient. But of course, we need more information, including field and greenhouse trials. We are currently in discussion with BCCAI for this project and hope to again tap into its financial resources and network, which have been very valuable to us.”

To find out more about BCCAI and funding opportunities, visit sfu.ca/agritech-innovation.

Created by Amplify by Annex, in partnership with BCCAI and Top Crop Manager.