Interesting..FPI just got $25.5 million grantMINISTER OLIVER EXTENDS FPINNOVATIONS’ FOREST SECTOR TRANSFORMATION PROGRAM WITH $25 MILLION COMMITMENT
Vancouver, British-Columbia, July 14, 2011 – Canada’s forestry innovation hub, FPInnovations, today welcomed Federal Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver’s announcement of $25.5-million towards the 2011-2012 Transformative Technologies Research Program (TTP). This program focuses on the development, adaptation, and deployment of emerging and breakthrough technologies relating to forest biomass utilization, forest biotechnology, nanotechnology, green chemistry, bio-materials, innovative wood-based building systems as well as information and communications technologies.
“Today’s announcement extends a unique industry/government partnership that is transforming the forest sector through innovation. This announcement will help build and strengthen an innovative and diversified forest products sector in Canada. That is good news for job growth and new economic opportunities for hard hit forestry communities,” stated Alan Potter, Vice-President of FPInnovations.
FPInnovations TTP research is currently shaping the future forest industry by:
•
Researching new technologies
•
Creating new production processes
•
Developing new forest products and markets
•
Making the industry more efficient and innovative.
“There is a growing appreciation and global demand for wood fibre-based products due to their environmental attributes (water and air recycling, and carbon sequestration). With the right business conditions, such as strong partnerships and FPInnovations’ transformative technologies, the sector can be prosperous, providing a more diverse basket of traditional and new products to the market and becoming a leader in an emerging bio-economy,” concluded Alan Potter.
About FPInnovations
FPInnovations is a not-for-profit world leader that specializes in the creation of scientific solutions in support of the Canadian forest sector’s global competitiveness and responds to the priority needs of its industrial and government members. It is ideally positioned to perform research, innovate and deliver state-of-the-art solutions for every area of the sector’s value chain, from forestry operations to consumer and industrial products. FPInnovations’ staff numbers more than 500. Its research laboratories are located in Québec City, Montréal, Thunder Bay and Vancouver, and it has technology transfer offices across Canada. For more information about FPInnovations, visit: www.fpinno