Manitoba’s Composites Innovation Centre is receiving over $1.9 million in combined federal-provincial funding from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Development to support North America’s first agriculture fibre grading program, FibreCITY.
“Biofibres are a growing and very exciting part of Manitoba’s agricultural industry. Strategic investments in the Composites Innovation Centre will ensure we will continue to be a leader in the years ahead, creating opportunities for growers, processors, innovators and their customers. By working together, Manitoba will achieve its goal of a $2 billion bioproducts sector by 2020,” said Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Development Minister Ron Kostyshyn.
Coupled with this funding, the Composites Innovation Centre will receive up to $715,000, provided under Agriculture Canada’s Growing Forward 2 (GF2) AgriInnovation Program, to install a unique suite of equipment specifically
dedicated to the evaluation of fibre crops. In addition, funds will be used to develop the world’s first informatics system for agricultural fibre grading and establish standards for fibre and product quality. An investment of up to $1.27 million, through the GF2 costshared Growing Innovation Program, will go towards establishing a quality testing site for natural fibres used in biomaterial applications and product development projects.
“One of our main objectives is to conduct technology development and commercialization activities that link agricultural producers to consumers, generating an increased level of income and opportunities at the farm gate and in rural communities,” said Sean McKay, president and CEO of the Composites Innovation Centre. “We are appreciative of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and the Province of Manitoba in further supporting our efforts to overcome a major barrier for the industrial adoption of natural fibres by developing methods and standards that will be used to guarantee their quality.”
Founded in 2003, the Composites Innovation Centre’s mandate is to support and stimulate economic growth through innovative research, development and industrial application of composite materials technology.
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