BioNB, a co-host of the Atlantic Biorefinery Conference, is coordinating attendance to a number of upcoming conferences and events for bio-based technologies and businesses. Ask Jennifer O'Donnell about any of the opportunities below:

• BIO International Convention in San Francisco (June 6th - 9th, 2016)
  • BioNB and its Atlantic partners are coordinating an Atlantic Canadian delegation to BIO, the world' largest showcase for bio-based industries. Learn more.
• Accelerating Agri-Technology Innovation Summit (February 10th-11th, 2016)
  • Join the movers and shakers of Atlantic Canada's agriculture and food technology sector to talk trends & technology. Learn more.
• Networking in the Netherlands: Mission to Eco-Bio (March 6th - 9th, 2016) and World Bio Markets (March 14th - 17th, 2016)
  • BioNB is heading to back-to-back bio-economy conferences in the Netherlands.. Join the marathon European networking mission and let BioNB introduce you to potential export partners, soft landings, new technologies and open your eyes to the largest global market for bio-based products, chemicals and energy. Contact Jenn.
• World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology (April 17th-20th, 2016)
  • ​Join the world's largest industrial biotechnology event for business leaders! This is a must attend event for any company or research organization working on natural resource transformation. Ask Jenn how BioNB can support your attendance.

The coal industry in the U.S. is struggling, with industry giant Arch Coal filing for bankruptcy last week.
Also last week President Obama halted new coal leases on federal lands until the benefits to taxpayers and impact on the environment are reviewed.
 
While it’s clear that energy from natural gas and renewables are viable alternatives to coal, a new future for coal may also exist. New technologies rooted in bioconversion pathways and genomics may provide the solution. A research team based at the University of Alberta and involving collaborators at a number of other institutions are developing greener processes to extract energy from coal by harnessing the power of microbes.

The bioconversion of coal to methane has potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and repurpose abandoned underground coal mines.  Learn more at Genome Alberta’s blog about a proposal to develop microbial conversion of coal to methane in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. The Verschuren Centre and New Paradigm Engineering are key partners in this initiative.

BioFuelNet Canada (BFN) is announcing ten (10) calls for proposals for
research to be conducted in the period of 2017-2022. The focus is in the
areas of biomass feedstock (2 projects), conversion technology (4
projects), engines and combustion (1 project) and social, economic and
environmental sustainability (3 projects). This call for proposals is open
to anyone meeting the eligibility criteria of NSERC or SSHRC. There is no
requirement for the applicant to have already participated in BFN. Maximum
grants range from $45k up to $90k per year, depending on the Project.
Applicants are limited to submitting two (2) applications for funding.

Please click here to visit the application website. All submissions must
be received no later than 20:00h on February 12th, 2016.
​
For questions related to eligibility, contact Xiaomin Zhou at
xiaomin.zhou@mcgill.ca. For questions related to the applications website,
contact Jorin Mamen at jorin.mamen@mcgill.ca.