Hosted by Natural Resources Canada on behalf of the Canadian Council of Forest Ministers, the National Forest Innovation Summit marked a key milestone for the forest sector. It brought together key stakeholders to acknowledge progress to date, advance forest sector innovation, affirm the ongoing need for industry transformation and build consensus on next steps.
This event served as a forum to highlight a diverse range of interests related to forest sector innovation, learn about key aspects of their innovation agenda and strengthen professional linkages.
Summit discussion issues included:
- an analysis of market trends and future opportunities;
- harnessing the power of the Canadian forest innovation system; and
- aligning resources to drive innovation and to take advantage of global market forces.
The IFIT Performance Report
The Investments in Forest Industry Transformation (IFIT) program was first introduced in Canada’s Jobs and Growth Budget 2010 to help secure a more prosperous future for Canada’s forest industry and the communities that depend on it. The IFIT Performance Report 2010–2014 demonstrates that the program is contributing to a more commercially and environmentally sustainable forest sector.
The Government of Canada’s Economic Action Plan 2014 committed an additional $90.4 million over four years, to 2018, to recapitalize the IFIT program in support of the ongoing renewal of Canada’s forest sector.
The IFIT program invests in commercial or near-commercial innovative technologies in the Canadian forest sector to help bridge the gap from initial research and development to market readiness. This ultimately will help remove the risks of implementing these technologies to encourage their broader adoption across the industry.
The program builds on previous and ongoing federal investments in research, development and deployment of innovative technologies in the forest sector. It is part of a broad federal strategy that includes expanding market opportunities for the forest sector in North America and overseas.
For more information, visit Natural Resources Canada on the Web.
Media may contact:
Alexandra Lemieux
Office of the Minister
Natural Resources Canada
Ottawa
613-996-2007
or:
Media Relations
Natural Resources Canada
Ottawa
613-992-4447
The general public may contact:
Mon.–Fri., 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. EDT
Telephone: 613-995-0947
TTY: 613-996-4397
(teletype for the hearing-impaired)
E-mail: questions@nrcan.gc.ca
Follow us on Twitter: @NRCan (http://twitter.com/nrcan)
