February 15, 2008, Sault Ste. Marie, ON – The Honourable Jim Prentice, Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for National Research Council Canada (NRC), today presented a Canadian Innovation Leader Certificate to Forest BioProducts Inc., at the company's facility in Sault Ste. Marie.
Forest BioProducts is a leader in biodiesel production technologies that allow small-scale producers to produce their own fuel from a variety of feedstocks.
"Guided by our Science and Technology strategy, the Government of Canada is helping Canadian researchers and entrepreneurs deliver innovative solutions to challenges, improve our economic competitiveness, and help Canadians acquire the skills they need to participate in the economy," said Minister Prentice. "It gives me great pleasure to join NRC in recognizing Forest BioProducts for their contribution to Canada's scientific and economic growth."
The S&T Strategy will help businesses innovate by increasing the affects of Government of Canada investments in research. It will help better align Canada's post-secondary research capacity with the needs of business. And it will ensure that the right conditions are in place to support innovation in S&T. The Strategy is a multi-year plan that will create a business environment that encourages innovation by the private sector and will guide the intelligent, strategic investment of public funds.
The Canadian Innovation Leader initiative celebrates the successes of innovative Canadian firms identified by the NRC Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC-IRAP), which assists Canadian small and medium-sized enterprises in their technology and R&D projects. NRC has been supporting Forest BioProducts since its early days.
"Forest BioProducts has ably demonstrated that researching, developing and bringing to market new technologies provides Canada with a competitive advantage," said Pat Mortimer, Vice-President, Technology and Industry Support, NRC. "NRC is proud to have taken part in supporting this innovative Canadian company."
Forest BioProducts Inc. is leading the way in introducing new alternative energy and value-added technology with small-scale biodiesel manufacturing as one of its top technologies, enabling individuals to meet their own energy needs in an environmentally-sustainable way.
"The bioeconomy is being driven by the fact that the price of fossil fuels has increased dramatically and the cost is likely to continue on an upward trend," explained company president and CEO, Dr. Luc Duchesne. "There is a growing need for renewable energy, plastics and other products that are generated using renewable resources. Essentially, we are finding ways to do more with what we already have. This is a tremendous opportunity for northern Ontario, and in fact, for all of Canada and has global market implications. We are very grateful that NRC-IRAP continues to support Forest BioProducts with its development of a fully-automated, mobile, biodiesel manufacturing plant."
By addressing the environmental and economic needs for alternative fuel, Forest BioProducts is providing Canadian SMEs with the increased independence of producing their own fuel. The company's GREENSTAR Biodiesel SystemTM is a biodiesel reactor that converts a variety of oils (sunflower, soybean, flax, as well as waste oil from restaurants) to biodiesel through a batch process.
Recognized globally for research and innovation, the National Research Council (NRC) is a leader in the development of an innovative, knowledge-based economy for Canada through science and technology.
For more information, please visit the NRC Web site at http://www.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca, or contact:
Claudine LaforceCommunications OfficerNational Research Council CanadaTel.: 613-998-5521Claudine.Laforce@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca
Johanne LavoieExecutive OfficerNational Research Council CanadaTel.: 613-991-4699Johanne.lavoie@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca
Deirdra McCrackenPress SecretaryOffice of the Honourable Jim PrenticeMinister of IndustryTel.: 613-995-9001McCracken.Deirdra@ic.gc.ca
