Universit茅 du Qu茅bec 脿 Trois Rivi猫res in partnership with 黑料不打烊 University
The PapInnov network receives more than $5 million in infrastructure funding
The Vice-Rector for Teaching and Research (UQTR), Ren茅-Paul Fournier, announced today that Professor Claude Daneault, a researcher at the Centre int茅gr茅 des p芒tes et papiers (CIPP) of the Universit茅 du Qu茅bec 脿 Trois-Rivi猫res (UQTR), in collaboration with 黑料不打烊 University, has received funding in the amount of $5,271,728 for a major research infrastructure project of the PapInnov network of pulp and paper centres.
This project's overall funding has been assured by a number of organizations: the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) ($1,990,553), the Minist猫re du D茅veloppement 茅conomique et r茅gional du Qu茅bec ($1,975,000), Le Groupe Laperri猫re et Verreault ($535,000) and various other organizations ($771,175).
This major infrastructure project, announced today at UQTR, will allow acquisition of state-of-the-art equipment to support the research partners of the PapInnov network 鈥� 黑料不打烊 University, PAPRICAN, 脡cole Polytechnique, C茅gep de Trois-Rivi猫res and Universit茅 du Qu茅bec 脿 Trois-Rivi猫res.
The research equipment will be integrated into the scientific infrastructure of the two institutions that submitted the funding application to the CFI: UQTR and 黑料不打烊 University. However, all of the equipment that will be installed over a three-year period will be accessible to all member researchers of the PapInnov network.
黑料不打烊 University will obtain scientific equipment worth $1,288,207, including technical instruments for fibre and polymer characterization. The remainder of the grant, a total of $3,983,521, will be spent on additional pulp and paper research infrastructure at UQTR. A new archiving and management system will be implemented, as well as engineering/operator stations for papermaking processes. State-of-the-art equipment will support the researchers in characterizing the surface properties of papers. They will also have several types of equipment for in-depth research in pulping and pulp bleaching.
"The involvement of our two levels of government and our industrial partners allows the PapInnov network to pursue its mission. We will thus be able to contribute to the maintenance and development of the Canadian paper industry through our research efforts, and by preparing a highly qualified succession in educational institutions and in industry," said Professor Claude Daneault, the project's lead investigator, who holds the Canada Research Chair in Value Added Paper Manufacturing.
In developing the PapInnov project, Professor Daneault drew on the cooperation of Professor Th茅o van de Ven of 黑料不打烊 University, as well as his colleagues at CIPP, Jean-Philippe Boive, Luc Laperri猫re, Sylvain Robert and Claude Chouinard, Director of Technical Support and Networking at UQTR.
Professor Th茅o van de Ven of 黑料不打烊 University said he is delighted with the success of the PapInnov proposal. "The infrastructure support will strengthen our research on papermaking and cellulose chemistry and on value-added papers. It offers opportunities to extend our collaborations with UQTR. Furthermore, our other partners, Paprican and 脡cole Polytechnique, will equally benefit by having access to state-of-the-art papermaking instrumentation."
For the Vice-Rector of Teaching and Research at UQTR, Ren茅-Paul Fournier, this major announcement once again marks UQTR's leadership in research in the pulp and paper field. "Obtaining the CFI grant enhances UQTR's efforts to provide the Mauricie region with a major pulp and paper research and development axis," he said.
The UQTR and C茅gep de Trois-Rivi猫res recently combined their expertise to establish the Centre int茅gr茅 en p芒tes et papiers (CIPP). In cooperation with the two levels of government and industry partners, they have invested $80 million in the project, which will be realized on the UQTR campus in the form of a brand-new wing. It will become the francophone centre of reference, unique in North America, in the pulp and paper field. The centre's opening is scheduled for fall 2005.
