The Government of Ontario has topped up a Thunder Bay, Ont.-based forest innovation accelerator, the Centre for Research and Innovation in the Bioeconomy (CRIBE), with $5 million in new funding.
“This funding will enable ongoing successful collaboration with our industry and government partners as we continue to position Ontario as a global leader in innovation.”
Scott Jackson
CRIBE
CRIBE, an independent non-profit, says it brings together researchers, the forest sector, and end users of forest products to create and commercialize innovative forest-based, low-carbon solutions. The funding will support CRIBE’s “Growing Ontario: Sustainable Wood-Based Materials for the Future” initiative, which the province said will help develop and commercialize new bioproducts and promote growth in the forest sector.
The accelerator is receiving the largest investment out of a total $6.2-million commitment for research, innovation, and modernization projects in Northwestern Ontario from the province’s Forest Biomass Program.
The program, which is also supporting a paper plant modernization and an Indigenous community heating system, aims to open up revenue streams in new markets for underused wood and mill byproducts, known as forest biomass. The province says it has invested more than $45 million across 55 projects to date under the Forest Biomass Program.
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Through partnerships with research and academic institutions, CRIBE helps forest-based projects and technologies with their research, development, piloting, and commercialization. Through its funding challenges, the accelerator says it has contributed $28.1 million to 42 projects to date, with a cumulative project value of $162.3 million. Some supported projects include those exploring forestry uses for drones, such as to reseed or map forests, and a different project that investigated turning biomass into soil additives for the agricultural sector.
“This funding will enable ongoing successful collaboration with our industry and government partners as we continue to position Ontario as a global leader in innovation,” CRIBE CEO Scott Jackson said in a statement.
Feature image courtesy Geranimo via Unsplash.