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1. Build a Resource Products and Bioenergy Innovation Centre
Associated with the existing I.K. Barber Enhanced Forestry Lab, the Centre will house equipment in which to conduct research on wood and resource management issues. Immediate research priorities will include a host of projects related to wood pellet emissions, operations, economics, and applications. The facility would incorporate research labs, house Natural Resources Canada researchers stationed at UNBC, build on current research partnerships, and be an architectural prototype for natural materials, innovative wood products, and sustainable energy. This centre will strengthen current alliances and foster new partnerships with industry and associated agencies (FPInnovations including FORINTEK and PAPRICAN, COFI, etc) as well as with the Wood Pellet Association of Canada and Forestry Innovation Investment Inc.
Investment: $15 million
2. Create environmental research leaders
Vital to the economic development of the industry, research chairs will
focus on the emissions, engineering, and production of biomass heat and
energy sources. They will provide UNBC and the region with the enhanced
human capital necessary to work closely with industry, government, and
communities for value-added ideas that will ensure the longterm
sustainability of our resources and our communities.
Investment: $3 million for three,
five-year chairs. There is an expectation of significant leveraging and
grant support through other levels of government and industry.
3. Explore wood and other energy sources for the campus
Installing pellet-fired boilers, for example, will enable UNBC to
become the first university and the largest facility in Canada to be
heated with biomass. There are also opportunities to utilize wind, solar,
geothermal, and other biofuels as new technologies develop and become
commercially viable. Using wood to generate additional heat and power
will allow UNBC to model the potential for community-based plants.
Investment: $15 million
4. Extend this infrastructure to the Northern Sport Centre
The Charles Jago Northern Sport Centre (NSC) is a regional facility
that will be a meaningful legacy from the 2010 Winter Olympic and
Paralympic Games. By building on the bioenergy capacity of the campus,
the NSC will be a prototype for the use of alternate heat and energy
sources in one of Canada’s most ingenious multi-sport facilities. It
will also strengthen UNBC’s demonstrated capacity in health research
and health promotion in northern, rural, and aboriginal communities.
Investment: $5 million
5. Expand course availability throughout the North
Using telecommunications technology is economically viable and green
and would provide the means for northern citizens to access
postsecondary education without building costly campuses or traveling
long distances. The NorthLink project is being developed by UNBC, the
northern colleges, governments, and industry partners.
Investment: $7 million
6. Provide more scholarships for students
New awards will support education and research to ensure that Canada
has the leaders it needs to make our country an international example
in the sustainable use of resources.
Investment: A $5 million scholarship endowment will result in $250,000 being paid out to students every year, forever.
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| The natural resources of the North power Canada’s economy.
To ensure a prosperous future in a knowledge-based economy, strategic investments, research, and innovation are imperative. These will lead to a greater understanding of the effects of climate change, economic diversification, and sustainability.
Leading National Research
11 of our 13 Research Chairs are involved in environmental
research. That's the largest number of any small university in Canada.
Northern British Columbia is a vast
region with an environment that is both spectacularly beautiful and
incredibly rich. Mining, forestry, oil and gas, and hydroelectric power
generation all co-exist with each other and with communities, tourism,
recreation, and traditional ways of life.
Green is Gold
Universities play a powerful role in developing new ideas about new
products, new processes, and new employment opportunities. But,
universities can’t do it alone. Working with government, communities,
our educational partners, and industry, UNBC will continue to be a
vital resource for the North.
The power of education
Only
a university can link private industries, governments, communities, and
all citizens in achieving sustainability. Join us. This partnership is
vital for the future prosperity of the North and of Canada, fully
realized by leveraging the involvement of others.
Investing in UNBC is investing in the people of the North. |
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