The Boreal Alliance Announced

Measuring the inner voids of lignocellulose-derived samples to determine thermal and electrical conductivity. Potential applications in capacitors, batteries, solar cell components and wearable electronics./marchfelder

The BioProducts Institute at the Faculty of Applied Science together with Aalto University and VTT (FinnCERES) will lead the “Boreal Alliance”, an initiative that will have resounding worldwide impact.

These organizations, known for high-level scientific research and application of sustainable use of renewable resources, are formalizing a transnational initiative that will lead to impacts at the scientific, governmental, regulatory and other levels associated with the bioproducts sector. The Boreal Alliance will catalyze innovation beyond Canada’s borders, internationalizing our science and creating research exchange, funding and business opportunities.

James Olson, Dean of the Faculty of Applied Science at UBC observed, “The cooperation and collaboration, the organizations represented within FinnCERES and within the BioProducts institute is a shining example of collaboration that will accelerate innovation as well as train the next generation of leaders committed to the transformation of the circular bioeconomy.”

Extracting bioactive compounds from birch bark to create antibacterial and antiviral agents. Bruce Marchfelder

The organizations will develop collaborations that include exchange programs for students, scholars, faculty and post-doctoral fellows, co-supervised research and other collaborative opportunities. These activities will help to translate science into innovations, to exchange knowledge and share best practices, to organize joint scholarly meetings, forums and conferences, to provide reciprocal access to research infrastructure and to develop bilateral funding opportunities.

Together with TreeSearch (Sweden) and EMPA and ETH (Switzerland), who will also join the alliance, this transnational initiative aggregates research from nations that optimally utilize the forest resource to advance prosperity and well-being in balance with sustainable development. Further initiatives are being developed with RISE and other partners. A high-level conference is being planned for next year in Switzerland, which will attract world leaders in the area of advanced lignocellulosic materials and include one of the biannual meetings under the Boreal Alliance initiative.