Natural Resources Canada on May 12 announced it is seeking proposals for innovative forest sector technologies under the Investments in Forest Industry Transformation program. Biofuel and biobased chemical projects are among those eligible for the program.

According to the Canadian government, the program supports the adoption of transformative technologies and product diversification, increases forest sector competitiveness and supports economic prosperity as the sector recovers from COVID-19.

Natural Resources Canada said up to $54.8 million will go to the IFIT program over the next two years, starting in 2021-’22.

In part, the IFIT program aims to enable new or increased production of biomaterials, biochemicals, next generation building products and biofuels. Eligible applicants include for-profit companies located in Canada. Eligible projects must be primarily based on wood fiber; be integrated with existing industrial processes in the forest sector and be located in Canada; represent an innovative advancement of a technology or process improvement for the production of a new bioproduct; and lead to a more diversified product mix the Canadian forest sector.

According to IFIT application materials, all proposals are eligible for a maximum funding amount of $10 million. Projects selected for funding consideration will undergo a tailored due diligence process based on project complexity and capacity of the applicant.

Applications can be submitted through July 22. Additional information is available on the Canadian government’s website.