FPInnovations and the Institut Technologique FCBA (Forêt Cellulose Bois-construction Ameublement), a research institute in France, have signed a memorandum of understanding to develop research partnerships and a framework for information exchange.
The MOU will stimulate open exchange between the two institutes through collaborative projects in the interest of both organisations’ members and the respective forest industries.
The three-year agreement will include sharing experiences, knowledge, resources and best practices, as well as developing common research projects in the initial phases.
Two research topics have been identified to launch this agreement:
– Construction of mid-rise and tall wood buildings as well as the building products adapted to such structures; and
– End-of-life-management of wood buildings by applying principles of flexibility, deconstruction, reuse, recycling, and life-cycle analysis (LCA) of products.
“We are very proud of this agreement, which marks an important step for FPInnovations,” said Pierre Lapointe, President and CEO of FPInnovations. “Not only does it provide Canada’s forest industry with privileged access to new knowledge and considerable market potential, but it is also a unique showcase for our organisation on the international scene.”
“Our common actions with our Canadian peers date back a long time—to the 1990s, in fact,” said Georges-Henri Florentin, Executive Director of the FCBA. “Our partnership, signed within COP21’s symbolic framework, on topics of global innovations in the field of tall buildings, is intended to spearhead our trades in the forest-wood industry, the 14th strategic sector in France.”
