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Budget 2017 shows support for innovation, clean-tech: FPInnovations

Mar. 23, 2017 – Pierre Lapointe, FPInnovations president and CEO, welcomed finance minister Bill Morneau’s commitment to create innovation superclusters as a driving force to build the Canadian economy.

In his budget, Morneau announced an investment of up to $950 million over five years to support business-led innovation superclusters that will enhance Canada’s competitiveness globally by focusing on highly innovative industries. In addition, Morneau announced significant support to increase the use of wood as a greener substitute material in infrastructure projects and to encourage the development, demonstration and adoption of clean technology in the natural resources sector.

“FPInnovations welcomes the Innovation Superclusters and Clean Tech programs. As the leading Canadian forest sector innovation organization, we are looking forward to working with officials and develop proposals that meet and surpass expectations in regards to innovation de-risking and scaling-up for our sector,” said Lapointe. “This budget announcement will further facilitate the collaboration between research institutes, colleges and universities, governments, and industry and result in sustainable jobs to rural economies, many of whom are dependent on the forest sector.”

Quick Facts

• Disruptive technologies developed by FPInnovations in collaboration with its partners include the world’s first pilot plant production of nano-crystalline cellulose, world’s first commercial scale production of cellulose fibrils and the development of a lignin extraction process as a new bioproduct from pulp and paper mills.
• Innovation and applied research has been used successfully to develop clean technologies to reduce air pollutants by 52 per cent and water pollutants by 70 per cent by the forest sector since 2005.
• FPInnovations produced the game-changing construction and design guides for mid-rise and tall wood buildings and has been as the forefront of scientific research influencing national and international codes and standards.
• Innovative clean technologies currently in development include TMP-Bio, a technology to be installed in underutilized pulp mills to convert hardwood chips to non-food sugars and lignin that in-turn can be used to create sustainable biochemicals.