Earlier this year, the Canadian Bio-Cleantech Applied Research Network (CBARN) and Bioindustrial Innovation Canada (BIC), both funded by the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario), signed an official two-year partnership following the approval of a Memorandum of Understanding outlining an integrated service package to support small- and medium-sized businesses (SMEs).
BIC is a national not-for-profit business accelerator founded in Sarnia, Ontario. BIC brings together stakeholders from the elite value chain to support the development of cooperative projects with industrial applications and to establish hybrid chemistry clusters within Canadian communities. It is focused on enabling Canada to become a globally recognized leader in sustainability by:
- Converting renewable resources into value-added bioenergy, biofuel, biochemical and biomaterials;
- Efficiently using the world’s limited resources (e.g., water, energy) through innovative technologies; and
- Recovering and reusing the world’s limited resources within the circular economy.
BIC and CBARN recognize that they share a priority to provide services to early-stage Canadian companies developing bio-based and sustainable chemistry-based technologies. By working together, both organizations can more effectively support SME clients and enable them to accelerate commercialization and growth.
The goal of this partnership is to develop a better business relationship between the two organizations to work together to support and fund the development of SMEs in the bio-cleantech sector in southern Ontario. This will also support value chain development in southern Ontario, which will result in increased awareness about bio-cleantech.