Bioindustrial Innovation Canada

The focus of Bioindustrial Innovation Canada (BIC) is to help Ontario and Canada become a globally recognized leader in taking sustainable feedstock, such as agricultural and forestry by-products and wastes, and turning these renewable resources into energy and value-added chemicals for use in applications ranging from construction to automotive parts.

The accelerator (Bowman Centre) plays a key role in translating Southwestern Ontario's strengths in agriculture, chemical and automotive production into new, sustainable bioproducts and renewable energy. It is creating North America's first bioindustrial laboratories and shared pilot plant facilities for gasification, pyrolysis, fermentation and bio-conversion – key technologies involved in converting agricultural and forestry by-products into fuels, chemicals, products and materials.

BIC was set up with $15 million in seed funding from the Centres of Excellence for Commercialization and Research (CECR) program in 2008, with renovations for the accelerator (Bowman Centre) partly funded by Ontario's Ministry of Innovation and Research through a $10 million grant (2008). The accelerator is designed to help bridge the gap between research and market in chemicals and energy production from biomass. It is located at the Sarnia Lambton Campus of the Western University Research Park.

BIC helps connect the accelerator to a nationwide Network of Centres of Excellence for Commercialization and Research, as well as to the burgeoning operations of the Western University Research Park in London, including the other Western-associated incubator, the Stiller Centre. There are extensive technology transfer connections with the main university campus through the WORLDiscoveries™ unit on commercialization and through the Research Division of the University into appropriate research groups in Engineering and chemistry.

BIC as a CECR is focused on commercialization of green and sustainable technology and a strategy that will lead to a self-sustaining entity in the future. Our mission is focused on building a world-class Bioindustrial industry in Canada leading to new jobs.

BIC is a member of the MITACS Accelerate Consortium. MITACS is a federally and provincially funded Canadian research network which connects industry and researchers at Canadian universities to apply cutting-edge research to industrial challenges. Industries have the opportunity to access university students for 3 to 6-month terms to support their research and development projects through the MITACS Accelerate program. The Research Park and BIC assist industries to access the MITACS program.

Lambton College is also increasing its presence in the Research Park as well as its overall focus on the Bioindustrial sector in its training programs and research initiatives to support industry. BIC is continually looking at ways to increase its partnership with the College.