HALIFAX -- Nova Scotia will spend $135,000 to commission Duke University to determine how companies in the province can capitalize on the federal shipbuilding project.

Premier Darrell Dexter says the research will focus on the creation, production and delivery of the Arctic offshore patrol ships.

The work will be done at the school's Center for Globalization, Governance and Competitiveness in Durham, N.C.

Halifax won the lion's share of the $35-billion procurement deal last year.

The Halifax Shipyard, owned by Irving Shipbuilding Inc., is expected to build 21 combat vessels under a $25-billion contract over 30 years.

The Arctic offshore vessels are the first expected to be built under the national shipbuilding procurement project.