Pierre Lapointe appointed Chairman of Board of ArboraNano

MONTREAL , Dec. 8 /CNW Telbec/ - Pierre Lapointe was appointed chairman of the Board of Directors of ArboraNano, the Canadian Forest NanoProducts Network, on November 16, 2009 , in Edmonton , Alberta.

"The appointment of Pierre Lapointe , who is president and chief executive officer of FPInnovations, is a strategic plus for ArboraNano, as it ensures close collaboration between the network and FPInnovations, the organization that has developed a strong leadership position in nanotechnology research related to the forest sector," said Ron Crotogino, President and Chief Executive Officer of ArboraNano.

ArboraNano is a network of multisector businesses, universities and not-for-profit organizations created by FPInnovations and NanoQuébec in 2009. Calling on forest sector and nanotechnology expertise, it is exploring opportunities for innovation of advanced manufactured products that are enhanced through the use of nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC) from wood fibre and other nanomaterials. Its goal is to create a new Canadian bioeconomy based on innovative, highly-engineered, carbon-neutral products containing nanomaterials.

According to Pierre Lapointe , "FPInnovations' scientific research has shown that NCC has remarkable, unique properties. It thus has a very bright future when it comes to the creation of new, ecological, manufactured products. I have therefore agreed to chair the Board of ArboraNano by conviction, in order to contribute to the development of new markets for NCC-based products."

The properties of NCC and the many forms in which it can be made create the potential for its use to enhance the properties of a wide range of products including advanced building products, recyclable structural and interior components for the transportation industry, innovative coatings and fillers for papermaking, novel bioplastics, fibre-reinforced composites, switchable optical films, biocomposites for bone repair, additives for paints/pigments/inks and for cosmetic products, iridescent or magnetic films, electrically conductive membranes, printed paper electronic devices, encapsulated quantum semiconductor crystal dots, and advanced or "intelligent" packaging materials.

"ArboraNano is an exciting new programme that is drawing together many of Canada's leading innovators from industry, government and academia around an area of emerging Canadian technology leadership. The appointment of Mr. Lapointe will help accelerate the development of new markets and products enabled through the effective use of nanocrystalline cellulose and other nanomaterials, both within the wood products sector and across the Canadian manufacturing landscape," added Robert Crawhall, President and Chief Executive Officer of NanoQuébec.

"The creation of new, high-performance, ecological products that generate added value for Canada's high-tech industry is an important aspect of the Canadian government's development strategy. ArboraNano and FPInnovations are both pursuing this objective. Hence, we are very pleased to welcome Mr. Lapointe as chairman of the board of ArboraNano, to facilitate the collaboration between these organizations" concluded Ron Crotogino.

About ArboraNano

ArboraNano is the new Canadian Forest NanoProducts Network, made possible by the Government of Canada's Business-Led Networks of Centres of Excellence program, FPInnovations and NanoQuébec. ArboraNano will receive $8.9 million from the federal government over the next four years. The Business-Led Networks of Centres of Excellence program has been created to fund major private-sector collaborative networks that focus on meeting specific research needs in the business sector.

ArboraNano brings together researchers from very different industries to research and develop products based on a plant-derived nanomaterial - nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC). The properties of NCC and the many forms in which it can be made mean that it has the potential to be used in many different ways to create biocomposites, bioplastics, iridescent coatings, wear-resistance surface treatments, drug delivery systems and more. ArboraNano also groups together scientists and engineers focused on using nanotechnology to develop advanced new high-performance forest products and substantially enhance the performance of traditional paper and building products. For more information about ArboraNano, go to www.arboranano.ca.

About FPInnovations

FPInnovations is a not-for-profit research and development consortium; a 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. Created from the merger of the three main Canadian forest sector research institutes, namely Feric, Forintek Canada Corp. and Paprican, FPInnovations also provides technical direction to 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 , and it has technology transfer offices across Canada . For more information about FPInnovations, go to www.fpinnovations.ca.

About NanoQuébec

NanoQuébec is a not-for-profit organization. Its mission is to strengthen innovation in nanotechnology in order to ensure solid and sustained economic growth for Québec and Canada through the support of nanoscience and nanotechnology infrastructure and the creation of targeted collaborative research programmes between industry and academia. NanoQuébec is supported principally by the Ministry of Economic Development, Innovation and Exportation of Québec. Programmes to promote nanotechnology-based innovation are developed in partnership with many provincial, national and international organizations. For more information about NanoQuébec, go to www.nanoquebec.ca.

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For further information: Ron Crotogino, President and Chief Executive Officer, ArboraNano Network, [phone], [email protected]; Nathalie Guilbault, Corporate Communications Director, FPInnovations, [phone], [email protected]; www.arboranano.ca