Two bio-economy visionaries, Lansing-based MBI and Ontario-based Bioindustrial Innovation Canada, signed an innovative binational agreement to collaborate on sharing their bio-based research and agendas Sept. 26 in Lansing.
This effort is intended to leverage scarce resources and build on a broader range of knowledge assets in Michigan and southwest Ontario.
“This agreement has been in the works for several years,” stated Bernie Steele, director of alliance and operations at MBI. “We’re grateful for the facilitative leadership of the MSU Center for Community and Economic Development binational project team in pushing this landmark Agreement over the finish line.”
MBI, a subsidiary of the Michigan State University Foundation, focuses on the development and commercialization of bio-based technologies, many of which have been precipitated by MSU’s research capacity in bio-based disciplines.
BIC, a Canadian non-profit organization with Canadian federal support, seeks to bridge the gap between research and markets in bio-based chemicals and energy production. BIC is leveraging its partnerships with Western (ON) University and Lambton College to develop a world-class, bio-based cluster in the region.
This landmark Agreement establishes a clear framework for coordinated research to expedite development and commercialization of bio-based chemicals and materials, along with raising awareness of the biomanufacturing and green chemistry sectors in the binational region of Michigan and southwest Ontario. This Agreement represents an important step in creating a global knowledge and research network that starts with these pioneering institutions in Michigan and Ontario.
This Agreement comes just three months after a binational memorandum of understanding was signed by the I-69 International Trade Corridor Next Michigan Corporation and the Southwest (Ontario) Economic Alliance on June 11th in Sarnia at the second Binational Blue Water Region Conference. That MOU targeted the biomanufacturing and green chemistry sectors for future binational collaboration and development, among others, setting the stage for the MBI-BIC agreement.