Media Advisory – all times listed are Pacific Standard Time
Vancouver, BC, May 9, 2014
The forest sector’s best and brightest minds converge at The University of British Columbia in Vancouver, BC to network and attend the second annual FIBRE conference from May 12-15, 2014. The more than 200 delegates represent the convergence of Canada’s forest sector research networks, Natural Sciences & Engineering Research Council (NSERC), Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC), FPInnovations and Natural Resources Canada (NRCan).
During the conference FIBRE along with its media partners PAPTAC, Paper Advance and Le Maître Papetier will be providing official news coverage from the meeting. To follow along visit http://www.fibrenetworkconference.com photographs and video will be available throughout the conference.
Over the past two years FIBRE, its NSERC strategic research networks and its collaborating partners have been working to align a major portion of the university-led forest products community to work on the Canadian Forest Sector Innovation Agenda and build synergistic interactions. A second emphasis for FIBRE has been training students through specialized workshops focusing on advanced business understanding and the innovation system. FIBRE and its eight individual networks (Innovative Green Wood Fibre Products Network, NSERC Bioconversion Network, LIGNOWORKS, Sentinel Bioactive Paper Network, Value-Chain Optimization Network, NEWBuildS, ArboraNano and ForValueNet) have also reached out to their industry partners to accelerate commercialization and assist with evidence-based research to support policy change.
The 2014 FIBRE conference will highlight the latest university-led forest product and process innovations, university-industry collaborations and student training all the while looking towards future developments and broadening international partnerships during the conference.
Conference highlights include:
May 12 –Student Workshop, 8:30am-4:30pm – Where are the jobs and how do I get one?
May 13 – Keynote Speech, 8:30am-9:15am – Finding Common Ground: Enlightened Leadership for Global and Local Challenges – Elizabeth Dowdeswell (Officer of the Order of Canada), President & CEO, Council of Canadian Academies
May 13 – Panel Discussion, 10:15am-11:45am – The Importance of FIBRE in the Innovation System
Ann-MarieThompson, Director, Energy, Environment & Resources Division, NSERC
Pierre Lapointe, President & CEO, FPInnovations
David Lindsay, President & CEO, FPAC
Tom Lindström, Head of Centre, KTH Royal Institute of Technology/BiMac Innovations, Sweden
May 14 – Dr. Derek Gray, 2013 Marcus Wallenberg Prize, 8:30am-9:00am – Professor Derek G. Gray, Recipient of the 2013 Marcus Wallenberg Prize, McGill University, Department of Chemistry, Montréal, Quebec – Evolution and Potential Uses of Nanocrystalline Cellulose
Professor Gray delivers his Laureate speech that he delivered in Sweden http://mwp.org/symposium/symposium-2013/. The purpose of the Marcus Wallenberg Prize is to recognize, encourage and stimulate path breaking scientific achievements, which contribute significantly to broadening knowledge and to technical development within the fields of importance to forestry and forest industries.
May 15 –International Partnerships, 11:00am-2:30pm chaired by James Olson, UBC. Professor Olson is Associate Dean, Research & Industrial Partnerships at the Faculty of Applied Science, and is working closely with industry & FPInnovations to develop a bio-economy strategy & action plan for BC, and to position UBC and the Pulp & Paper Centre as a leader in research and education in a strategically important provincial industry.
Robert Pelton, Sentinel Bioactive Paper Network
Tom Lindström, Head of Centre, KTH Royal Institute of Technology/BiMac Innovations, Sweden
Philip Turner, Director of Centre for Plant Science & Bio-polymer, Forest Products Research Institute, Edinburgh Napier University
The full conference schedule can be found at http://www.fibrenetwork.org/events/event2014/
Quote:
“FIBRE networks can be proud of their more than 80 innovative ideas (to-date) and tech transfer opportunities. FIBRE has supported cross-network interactions, fostered international collaborations, accelerated knowledge transfer and enhanced student training. All of our activities support the transformation of Canada’s forest sector.” – Theo van de Ven, Chair, FIBRE
About FIBRE – www.fibrenetwork.org
FIBRE (Forest Innovation by Research & Education) is the organization that builds synergies among eight forest R&D networks in support of the priorities of Canada’s vital forest sector innovation system. Each FIBRE network provides novel innovations to sustain and transform Canada’s forest sector.
In 2011 the NSERC Strategic Networks launched FIBRE. Through deliberate alignment with the Canadian Forest Sector Transformation Strategy, FIBRE is meant to be a unique collaborative model that draws upon the capabilities of Canadian universities, with over 100 professors and 400 students.
FIBRE’s mandate comes from a partnership comprised of Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), FPInnovations, Natural Resources Canada and the Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC).
Twitter: @FIBRECAN @ubcPPC Conference hashtag: #fibre http://www.fibrenetwork.org
For further information:
Jill Wright, FIBRE communications manager, comms@fibrenetwork.org
519.851.3896