Bordeaux official delegation at Laval University – September 6, 2022
Official Bordelais delegation at Laval University РQu̩bec
Faculty of Forestry, Geography and Geomatics – Laval University
Renewable Materials Research Centre- Laval University
On september 6, 2022, Mr. Pierre Blanchet, professor  holder of the Industrial Research Chair on Eco-responsible Wood Construction (CIRCERB) and member of the Renewable Materials Research Centre (CRMR) welcomed the mayor of Bordeaux, Mr. Pierre HURMIC, accompanied by a large delegation of representatives from various sectors, including Mr. Christophe MATHIEU, director general of the FCBA Institute of Technology (forestry, pulp and paper, wood construction and furniture sectors).
On this occasion, Mr. Yan Cimon, vice-rector for external, international and health affairs and professor in the Faculty of Administrative Sciences at Laval University (UL); Mr. Alexis Achim, full professor and vice-dean for research – Faculty of Forestry, Geography and Geomatics (FFGG) at UL; Ms. Véronic Landry, professor holder of the NSERC/Canlak Industrial Research Chair in Finishes for Interior Wood Products and director of the CRMR; and Mr. Pierre Gagné, coordinator of CIRCERB, presented the different entities and activities of UL. Mr. Wassim Kharrat, wood construction consultant at the Ministère des Forêts, de la Faune et des Parcs (MFFP); Mr. François Boutin, departmental coordinator for international and intergovernmental affairs-MFFP; Ms. Christelle Debrauwer, Quebec City laboratory director at FPInnovations; and Mr. Olivier Montreuil, international affairs advisor and executive assistant, Gouvernement du Québec, also participated in the meeting and presented the activities of their respective organizations.
This meeting between the Bordeaux and Quebec delegations was held in conjunction with a visit to Quebec City Hall, with which the city of Bordeaux is paired. The mission of the meeting was to create links between various stakeholders and actors from the academic, governmental and industrial sectors in order to strengthen and create new collaborations in research and development between Bordeaux and Quebec, particularly in the field of wood construction, while identifying the multiple advantages of using wood in construction in a climate change context.
First, Mr. Cimon talked about the importance of research and UL‘s interest in the development of new collaborations locally and internationally. Mr. Achim presented the mission of the FFGG and its continued support for research and international deployment. Mr. Gagné presented the CIRCERB, whose driving force is biobased materials.   CIRCERB‘s research projects come primarily from the preoccupations of the partners or the practical environment and promote interaction between students and partners, which allows students to network, integrate more easily into the job market and become leaders in their communities.
During this first mission, the Bordeaux and Quebec delegations were able to meet to learn more about wood construction, its issues and its challenges, anticipating a fruitful collaboration in the near future between Quebec and Bordeaux. The participants then joined a guided visit of the CRMR laboratories by Ms. Landry and Mr. Gagné as well as a visit of the Telus Stadium-Université Laval. The delegation took the time to discuss with the students about various promising projects in Quebec and at the international level that are being realized within the CRMR.
Photo credit: Besma Bouslimi