Grant: Technology Access Centre

Biomass is the future of Canada s chemical industries. Bio-based products are redefining industrial and consumer products by integrating renewable, biological raw materials to innovate a wide range of products. Bio-based chemicals are a key part of this growing sector of product innovations, as they represent the development of the chemical building blocks needed for future bio-based products. Based on strong community direction that recognizes Sarnia-Lambton s natural fit for ongoing developments to diversify the economy and build a new industrial cluster, a Sarnia-Lambton Bio-Hybrid and Chemistry Cluster was established in 2007 to merge and build on the strengths of the hydrocarbon-based and bio-based economies.Lambton College (LC) as the only education and applied research provider in the region to support the Cluster established the Bioindustrial Process Research Centre (BPRC). The BPRC has been a very successful initiative and become a critical factor in successfully building the Cluster through stimulating economic development and technology transfer to the partners located in the region and beyond. The BPRC has significantly increased the number of projects and services to SMEs in last 9 years (4 years as the Research Centre and 5 years as a research group) and has a vital role in helping regional cluster building initiative. The proposed enhancement of the BPRC as a Technology Access Centre (TAC) is necessary at this phase to support and grow this research center to provide a wider range of services.