$30 million federal R&D grant
April 22, 2008
Robert A. Kennedy, President, University of Maine
Introductory remarks at a
news event about a $30 million Dept. of Energy grant to fund creation of
a near-commercial scale demonstration plant in Old Town, to move toward
commercializing UMaine research in forest bioproducts.
• While we’re all excited to be here today, to celebrate this milestone
event, it’s interesting to note that a UMaine president predicted this
event – almost exactly -- 45 years ago, in 1963.
• President Lloyd Elliot asked rhetorically while addressing the 50th
anniversary celebration of pulp and paper study at UMaine, and I quote:
“I wonder what the next half-century will bring. Is it possible that
those who are on hand to mark the first half-century of the program, in
2013, will find multi-million research laboratories adjacent to pulp and
paper schools where basic investigation, as well as the search for new
products and new processes, is a major function?”
• As prescient as President Elliot was, this outcome became even more
predictable in 1997, when the Maine Legislature and Maine people began
investing public funds in research and development through the Maine
Economic Improvement Fund.
• That investment is paying off and, as our state’s research program
matures, we are moving ever-closer to the kind of returns that citizens
have seen in other states. Our state’s leaders, and Maine voters, have
shown over and again that they believe in this strategy, and we are all
delighted that their faith in the capacity of the state’s research
institutions is being proven as well-founded.
• And it is all brought into sharp focus by the announcement of the
Department of Energy’s $30 million grant to support a cutting-edge R&D
program right here in Maine. This is the largest R&D grant in Maine’s
history, and its potential economic development implications are
incredible. We’re delighted to have you with us here today to celebrate
this milestone, and to give us the opportunity to share some more
perspectives on this work and its potential meaning for this university,
region and state.
• Our state’s leaders have worked hard over the past 10-plus years to
keep the ball rolling on R&D, adjusting when necessary and working to
sustain the momentum. For example, Evan Richert, Gov. King’s state
planning office director, had the vision to promote the state’s 30 and
1000 initiative, aimed at increasing educational attainment and R&D
investment. The legislature has worked hard on economic development and
R&D, creating MEIF, the Maine Technology Institute, the state’s
incubators, promoting bond referenda, and much more. And Gov. Baldacci
and his administration have carried all these ideas forward in his
administration, with tangible examples like their promotion of the
largest R&D bond to date – last year’s $50 million initiative.
• Some of those leaders are here with us today. I extend my thanks and
appreciation to Jack Cashman, perhaps the greatest champion for this
strategy and a person who has worked tirelessly to help bring this
project to fruition in Old Town. From the day the paper mill closed,
Jack has brought every prospective buyer or investor to UMaine to make
sure that those people would see, first-hand, the possibilities and to
experience UMaine’s commitment to R&D in this industry. Thank you, Jack.
• Those who currently represent UMaine in Augusta, Representative Emily
Cain and Senator Elizabeth Schneider, have continued to press the
message effectively, and we are grateful.
• And, of course, Sen. Schneider’s predecessor, Sen. Mary Cathcart, who
was as instrumental as anybody in starting Maine down this path. Thanks
to all of you, and the state, community, business and university leaders
who have helped make today possible.
• We also owe a debt of gratitude to the members of Maine’s
Congressional delegation, all of whom provide incredible support for
UMaine in all forms, and for R&D projects like this one that can make a
real difference to our state and our nation. All indicated that they
would have liked to have been here today, but their schedules would not
allow it.
• I would like to recognize their representatives, and thank them for
being here and for their support and hard work related to this and other
similar projects.
- Representing Sen. Collins is Carol Woodcock.
- Representing Sen. Snowe is Gail Kelly.
- Representing Congresmann Michaud is Sara Stevens.
My personal thanks to each of you.
• Let me also extend my thanks to our great partners in this enterprise.
Red Shield Environmental and American Process Incorporated are wonderful
collaborators, and we look forward to continued progress on this
wonderful idea. We are joined today by Red Shield President Burt Martin
and Red Shield CEO Ed Pezloski. Thank you for being here. And, in from
Atlanta for today’s event is API vice president Steve Rutherford. Thanks
for the great effort to get here, and for your critical role in this
project.
• Today we celebrate a milestone that puts the “D” in “R & D.” This
grant moves us a giant step closer to commercializing University of
Maine technology, to moving from an idea to mass-produced product. That
is how universities lead economic development on a large scale, and it
is how research can lead to business development and jobs.
• Cellulosic ethanol – in this case, ethanol made from forest
bioproducts – holds great promise as a means for creating a more
sustainable energy future. Its creation requires far less fossil energy
than corn ethanol and – of course – a fraction of that related to
gasoline. Ethanol results in fewer greenhouse gas emissions than
gasoline, and it is biodegradable. We are on the leading edge of this
research. In the most forested state in the nation, with this facility
at our disposal and with the support of the DOE, our partnership is
uniquely positioned to move forward quickly on this exciting R&D
project.
• Let’s take a moment to recognize those who have done the critical,
ground-breaking work to bring this project so far, and to convince the
government that it is worth a major investment.
• Professors Hemant Pendse and Adrian Van Heinengen, and all of their
colleagues in UMaine’s Forest Bioproducts Research Institute. Hemant is
the institute’s director, and a forceful, effective advocate for this
technology. Adrian is the visionary scientist whose patent-pending
technology forms the basis for this effort. Joe Genco and Mike Bilodeau
have also been instrumental in the preparation of the proposal that led
to this grant, and Clay Wheeler and Peter Van Walsum are poised to play
critical roles moving forward.
• This project also includes the students who work and study with the
incredible faculty there. This kind of work provides amazing educational
opportunities for those gifted students, and their contributions are
very significant, indeed. You will hear from one of those students, Sara
Walton, in a few moments.
• I would also like to thank and recognize those in UMaine’s research
administration – particularly Vice President Mike Eckardt and Assistant
Vice President Jake Ward – for their visionary leadership, and their
commitment to economic development through research.
• We have quite a few people who would like to share their perspectives
this morning. So let me conclude by saying that this project is working
so well because it is built on a strong foundation, which we are all
working to replicate in other R&D projects as well.
• It starts with a great idea, worthy of state investment to develop the
concept further.
• It includes collaborators – in this case business collaborators, in
other cases it’s research institutions – who provide their resources,
experiences and important perspectives to continue the work. All of this
is supported by state government leaders and Maine’s people.
• With the help of our federal legislators, it has been deemed worthy of
federal government investment, now moving us closer to our ultimate goal
of large-scale commercialization, leading to good new industries and
good jobs for Maine people.
• At UMaine, we will continue to provide those ideas and to foster the
collaborations that make these projects work. Milestones like this prove
the payoff of state investment, which is critical and which we hope will
continue and grow over time. This is the way to a brighter future. It’s
been proven in other states. It has worked there, and it will work in
Maine. This is a very significant step forward for Maine and for Maine’s
people. Thank you for sharing with us in this celebration.
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