New R&D agreement between FPInnovations and the MRNF for the Québec forest
sector

MONTREAL , Sept. 22 /CNW Telbec/ - FPInnovations and the Québec Ministère des Ressources naturelles et de la Faune (MRNF) have reached a new R&D agreement for the Québec forest sector. Spread over two years, the Government of Québec's $5.87 million investment will go essentially toward supporting forest sector companies, in order to:

    
    - enhance the value of forest sector assets,
    - develop innovative solutions, and
    - deploy a series of measures to promote greater use of wood by the
      Québec construction industry.
    

Research and development is a crucial part of developing solutions aimed at ensuring the forest industry's long-term viability. FPInnovations has been involved in this area for a number of years, via its scientific and technical personnel at research laboratories in Québec City, Montréal and Vancouver .

    
    The new R&D investment will enable progress in the following broad areas:

    1. Enhancing the value of forest sector assets, including:
       - support for wood product companies, to allow swift deployment of
         efforts to optimize products and boost companies' competitiveness;
       - technological initiatives to enable funding for in-house research
         projects carried out by company personnel;
       - special projects to help revitalize the hardwood and new bioeconomy
         products processing industry.

    2. New measures to promote the use of wood by the Québec construction
       industry, aimed at:
       - preparing innovative solutions and supporting developers' efforts to
         create and obtain certification for structural and appearance wood
         products;
       - greater collaboration between university researchers and
         FPInnovations researchers.
    

These research activities and programs will help Québec forest sector companies make the transition to a new era and allow the industry to take advantage of interesting possibilities in non-traditional markets, thanks to novel ways of adding value to Québec forest resources.

According to Hervé Deschênes, Vice-President, Wood Products, at FPInnovations, "If you take into account the expertise developed in Québec by both our researchers and our institutions, our extensive natural resources and our manufacturing skills, the Québec forest products industry is well placed to become a leader in a new economy that meets the needs of a constantly changing market."

The MRNF is an important member of FPInnovations and, in this capacity, contributes to its National Research Program in partnership with other government and industry members. This research enables the development of high-performance processes and innovative products that meet the needs of current and future customers. The National Research Program is supported by other initiatives such as the Transformative Technologies Program, aimed at transforming the overall Canadian forest industry, which, in turn, receives major support from Natural Resources Canada .

"The Government of Canada , through the Transformative Technologies Program, has contributed engineering and building systems expertise throughout the life of this project," said the Honourable Lisa Raitt , Minister of Natural Resources. "Our Government welcomes this initiative as it complements existing efforts to promote the use of wood in both residential and non-residential construction throughout North America ."

According to Pierre Lapointe , President and CEO of FPInnovations, "The MRNF's investment in research and development and the support for innovation by all of our industry and government members contribute significantly to improving the Québec forest sector's competitiveness."

About FPInnovations

FPInnovations is a not-for-profit world leader which 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, to innovate, and to deliver state-of-the-art solutions for every area of the sector's value chain, from forestry operations to consumer and industrial products. Created from the merger of the three main Canadian forest sector research institutes: FERIC, Forintek Canada Corp., and Paprican, FPInnovations also provides technical direction to the Natural Resources Canada's Canadian Wood Fibre Centre. FPInnovations' staff numbers more than 600. Its research laboratories are located in Québec City, Montréal, and Vancouver , with technology transfer offices across Canada .

For further information: Nathalie Guilbault, Corporate Communication Director, [phone], [email protected]; Hervé Deschênes, Vice-President, Wood Products, [phone], extension 3503, [email protected]