KINGSTON, ON Wednesday, May 26, 2010 - Founded as Pathogen Detection Systems, Inc. (PDS) and now known as ENDETEC, the global sensor platform of Veolia Water Solutions & Technologies (VWS), PDS has been awarded $2.5 million from the Ministry of Research and Innovation (MRI), Innovation Demonstration Fund (IDF) to expand their product development program in Kingston, Ontario.

The announcement was made at Innovation Park at Queen’s University in Kingston at 10:00am by the Honourable John Gerretsen, MPP, Kingston and The Islands. Representatives from ENDETEC and VWS joined government officials, Queen’s University and the Kingston Economic Development Corporation, in celebrating this funding announcement.

PDS, an Ontario startup company spurred by the Walkerton, Ontario tainted water tragedy, was founded on university researchers’ determination to find a faster, more effective way to monitor municipal water systems. The goal was to improve water quality through enhanced water monitoring and testing systems. 

The technology is based on a novel fibre optic sensory technology developed by Dr. Stephen Brown and a team of scientists at Queen’s University, and industry researchers. The patented PDS system provides laboratory-grade testing for E.coli and other coliform bacteria with improved speed, reliability and productivity over current methods. 

PDS has recently become ENDETEC, the newly formed global sensor platform of Veolia Water Solutions & Technologies. ENDETEC will be headquartered in Kingston and will benefit from a range of microbiological and chemical sensing technologies that are being developed by the group. 

As a whole, ENDETEC is experiencing significant expansion. The $2.5 million in MRI funding ensures the continuation of a three-year, $8.7 million development project for its next generation water monitoring systems. 

ENDETEC also intends to grow its research partnership with Queen’s University. In the last five years ENDETEC has invested approximately $1 million in direct research and development contracts with Queen’s. Over the next three years the total R&D activity with Queen’s is planned to increase to more than $2.3 million. 

New employment opportunities will also arise as the company continues to increase in size. Originating with five people at the time of the VWS integration, ENDETEC expects that the funding will help create 20 new high-skilled jobs by the end of 2010. 

“This growth is an important step in the development of an advanced monitoring platform within VWS,” says David Dolphin, President of ENDETEC. “This funding from the Innovation Demonstration Fund helped to ensure that ENDETEC remained headquartered in Kingston and we plan to expand with a significant product development program.” 

The expansion of ENDETEC is good news for Kingston, says Jeff Garrah, CEO of KEDCO. “Theprovince’s ongoing investment in local companies through programs such as the Innovation

Demonstration Fund acknowledges Kingston’s strengths in research and commercialization. It also shows once again that Kingston is able to work on a global scale and we’re delighted that ENDETEC will continue to work and grow in Kingston.”

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