The Collège communautaire du Nouveau-Brunswick (CCNB) has focused on knowledge transfer and industry support to promote a prosperous bioeconomy in Atlantic Canada. In 2010 it obtained an Innovation Enhancement grant that led to the creation of its Biorefinery Technology Scale-up Centre. The centre gives college and university researchers as well as companies the opportunity to test their products and processes at a near-production scale.
The research team working at the Grand Falls campus of CCNB supports industry in its bioproduct promotion efforts. The team uses microbial fermentation, hydrolysis, bioseparation and chemical processes to produce value-added industrial bioproducts such as bioethanol, biogas, biodiesel and alcoholic beverages from forest, agricultural and marine biomasses and industrial and municipal wastes.
In partnership with two not-for-profit organizations – Springboard Atlantic Inc. and BioNB – CCNB has launched the Atlantic Canada Annual Biorefinery Conference. The conference has attracted more than hundred participants each year from private and public sectors. Industry visits, keynote speakers, student poster sessions and business-to-business meetings are crucial components of this event, providing opportunities to develop research collaborations and partnership agreements. Industry representatives, students and researchers get the chance to learn about existing or emerging technologies in the bio-processing sector, make new contacts and create new partnerships.
Brennan Sisk (CEO) of Mycodev Group Inc. (Fredericton, NB), a chitosan production company, sees great value in the conference. “The Atlantic Biorefinery conference provides Mycodev, an early stage biotech company, with a doorway to opportunities. Over the past three years, we’ve met academic and industry experts that have expanded our knowledge and network. As we embark into the market and expand our technology base, we are convinced that the friends made here will pay dividends in Mycodev’s success.”
