Bioproducts driving new opportunities in the automotive industry in Ontario
Weirdness in Colonia, Uruguay.
Originally uploaded by jazzido
The provincial government recently announced funding for research and development in bioproduct technologies specifically tailored for the automotive industry. At first glance, this might seem like another alternative fuel initiative, but bioproducts have also shown potential for a wide variety of materials associated with building vehicles.
On average, every car contains over 100 kilograms of synthetic plastics. A group of researchers from Guelph, Toronto, Waterloo and Windsor believe that a large portion of this can be replaced with products from renewable resources.
Ontario produces more cars and trucks than any other jurisdiction in North America. We’re also home to a very strong agriculture sector. These advances will enable us to build upon our strengths in these two industries, developing talents and providing jobs, through research and innovation.
From the Ontario Agri-Food Technologies Release:
The McGuinty government is investing over $5.9 million in the Ontario BioCar Initiative, a research project to turn Ontario’s harvest - such as wheat, corn, soybeans and forest biomass - into viable materials for the auto industry. The government is also investing $255,000 in the Ontario BioAuto Council to help move these emerging technologies into the marketplace and attract jobs and investment.
See also the Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation’s release: Ontario’s Investment in Renewable Automotive Technologies.
Kevin currently manages initial client engagements with the MaRS Venture Group. He also administers a federal fund that provides mentorship to start-up companies across Ontario.
[...] Following up on a story written about the announcement of the formation of the Ontario BioAuto Council, the RFP was just released which outlines the process and eligibility for their investment fund. Basically this is a $5-million fund that targets commercialization and market development of biomaterials destined for Ontario’s automotive sector. [...]
Posted by: MaRS Blog - Innovation and Commercialization in Canada » Blog Archive » Ontario BioAuto investment fund now open for submissions on July 30th, 2007 at 6:27 pm