Moving Thunder Bay's Bio-Economy from Potentiality to Reality
(November 5, 2008 - Thunder Bay, ON) A panel discussion entitled Opportunities in a Bio-Economy: A Look at Sustainable Models for the North, will be held on Wednesday, November 5, 2008. The panel discussion centres around what steps need to be taken in order to allow a bio-economy to grow and prosper in Thunder Bay, and the region.
The event is part of the Mind to Market Innovation Series, hosted by The Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE), an organization which helps facilitate economic growth through support for industrially relevant R&D, the opening of new market opportunities, and the commercialization of leading-edge technology.
In March 2007 the Government of Ontario awarded $6 million to Lakehead University in support of biorefining research, used to establish the foundation of the Biorefining Research Initiative (BRI) - officially launched last month - and to recruit two world-class researchers to develop technologies and products from forest biomass.
"True prosperity for our region depends on our ability to create and commercialize new ideas. Commercialization demands committed technopreneurs who are bold, competitive, daring, and visionary," says Dr. Bahram Dadgostar, Dean of Lakehead's Faculty of Business Administration. "We have to nurture a culture that encourages entrepreneurship and risk taking. We have to focus on a niche area where we have competitive advantage."
The speaker event will be moderated by Lakehead University Professor of Economics, Dr. Livio Di Matteo, with Martin Kaiser, Manager, Strategic Business Development of AbitibiBowater, Lakehead University Director of the Biorefining Research Initiative, Dr. Robert Dekker, and Dean of Lakehead University's Faculty of Business Administration, Dr. Bahram Dadgostar.
The event takes place Wednesday, November 5, 2008 from 5:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. in the Tiberio Room at the Travelodge Airlane, 698 West Arthur St. Registration is required. More information is available by calling OCE at 416-861-1092 extension 1089, or 1-866-759-6014 extension 1089.
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Media: For more information, please contact Lisa Pelot, Communications Officer, 807-343-8177,or commun@lakeheadu.ca, or Eleanor Abaya, Director of Communications, 807-343-8372 or eleanor.abaya@lakeheadu.ca.
About Lakehead
Lakehead is a comprehensive university with a reputation for innovative programs and cutting-edge research. With a main campus located in Thunder Bay, Ontario and a campus in Orillia, Ontario, Lakehead has over 7,700 students and 2,250 faculty and staff, and is home to the west campus of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine. In 2006, Research Infosource Inc. named Lakehead University Canada's Research University of the Year in the undergraduate category. For more information on Lakehead University, visit www.lakeheadu.ca.