The Pulp and Paper Centre in the University of British Columbia’s Faculty of Applied Science is the beneficiary of a new grant program funded by NorskeCanada, BC’s largest producer of paper products. The program was unveiled by Russ Horner, presid…
The Pulp and Paper Centre in the University of British Columbia’s Faculty of Applied Science is the beneficiary of a new grant program funded by NorskeCanada, BC’s largest producer of paper products. The program was unveiled by Russ Horner, president of NorskeCanada, in a recognition ceremony in the Centre on the 9th of February, 2004.
The NorskeCanada Grants Program will support research in pulp and paper science and engineering. Each year, the program will provide a cash grant of $60,000 spread over three years, along with in-kind contributions. This will fund a multi-year project advancing papermaking and engineering technologies specific to processing BC coastal fibre into high-value paper products.
“This is an important contribution to pulp and paper research at UBC,” said Professor Richard Kerekes, director of the Pulp and Paper Centre. He foresees that the grants will not only directly benefit student and faculty research, but will also assist the Centre in leveraging funding from other sources.
He also emphasized that the grants are not limited to specific research areas.
“All faculty associated with the Pulp and Paper Centre will be eligible for the NorskeCanada grants,” said Kerekes.
Each year, a committee in the Pulp and Paper Centre made up of the Director of the Centre, the Director of Paprican’s Vancouver Laboratory, and a representative of NorskeCanada, will select a research project to receive the three-year grant. NorskeCanada will also provide matching in-kind support.
The first recipient of the NorskeCanada award was Professor Peter Englezos of UBC’s Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, whose research focuses on papermaking chemistry and technology. He intends to use the funds to support a research project on the optimization of additives such as calcium carbonate filler for high-value mechanical pulp grades.
During the ceremony, NorskeCanada President and CEO Russell J. Horner stated, “As a value-added manufacturer, we turn the waste from the solid wood industry into paper products for customers around the world. We recognize that new knowledge and technology advancements in paper making helps us, and the BC industry, hold our advantage in a very competitive global marketplace.
“In addition, our relationship with UBC is longstanding with many graduates among our employees, and we’re proud to contribute in a way that will undoubtedly attract excellent students and researchers to this university and its research partners,” added Horner.
“This awards program is significant in amount and innovative in concept” says Richard Kerekes, Director of the UBC Pulp and Paper Centre. “Its continuing nature facilitates planning and establishment of collaborations with NorskeCanada, as well as taking advantage of government matching grants. It will greatly enhance our links with British Columbia’s largest paper producer. It is a far-sighted initiative in these difficult times, and for this, we thank Russ Horner and his management team.”
The Pulp and Paper Centre houses collaborative post-graduate programs between UBC and the Pulp and Paper Research Institute of Canada (Paprican). These programs focus on education and research for the pulp and paper industry with emphasis on environmental engineering, chemical pulping technology, process control, fibre processing, papermaking and computational fluid dynamics.
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