IFMAS labelling: innovative materials produced from plant-based resources

The French Institute of Agro-Based Materials (IFMAS, Institut Français des Matériaux Agro-sourcés) is the Nord-Pas de Calais institute of research, industrial valorization and training in the Plant-Based Chemistry field. It has just been given the label « Institute of Excellence for Decarbonated Energies » by the French Prime Minister François FILLON in conjunction with Laurent WAUQUIEZ, Minister for Higher Education and Research, Eric BESSON, Minister with special responsibility for Industry, Energy and the Digital Economy, and René RICOL, Commissioner-General for Investment. It will enjoy a grant of 30.8 million euros.

IFMAS will develop new technologies to create innovative materials from local plant-based resources, such as cereals and the starch potato. Integrating all the players in the sector– from the farm to plant-based paints, coatings and plastics– IFMAS will study in particular the processing of raw materials and the processing of the plant-based plastics, taking into account the recycling and the management of the end of the life cycle of the products manufactured.

IFMAS has today a total of eleven partners in a balanced and solid public-private shareholding synergising the skills of public and private research:

• The industrial partners: Florimond-Desprez, Roquette, Mäder, CREPIB (Research and Testing Centre for Innovative and Biobased Plastics),
• The scientific partners: INRA, CNRS, Ecole des Mines de Douai, Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Chimie de Lille, Université Lille 1, Université d’Artois,
• The competitiveness cluster MAUD (Materials and Applications for Sustainable Use).

The Members Club will bring together, in a unique way, many other companies that will have access to the services of the Institute: technological platforms, training and project house. To date twelve companies and organisations have already become associated to develop a portfolio of value-enhanceable technologies and structure the new industrial sector of Agro-Based Materials: CVP, Malengé Graphic, Néo-Eco, Pellenc, Plage SA, Schneider Electrics, Sealock, Unipackaging, Comité Nord Plant, Plastics Technology Excellence Centre, Grouping of Plastics Technology Industries, TEAM2 Cluster.

More than 150 teachers-researchers, public and private researchers will work within the IFMAS, located on the campus of the Cité Scientifique in Villeneuve d’Ascq, in the immediate vicinity of the Michel-Eugène Chevreul Institute– the euroregional centre for Molecules and Materials.

IFMAS is part of a strong initiative in favour of Plant-based Chemistry that will assure France industrial leadership with major socio-economic spin-offs for agriculture, chemistry, plastics technology and environment.
Many markets are targeted: paints, packaging, the construction industry, transport, electrical and electronic equipment and the medical sector. IFMAS will enable France to become a global leader for sustainable valued added bio-based products generating lower CO2 emissions. It plans to create 5,000 new jobs over the next ten years.
The IFMAS project has been awarded the label of two national competitiveness clusters: MAUD (Materials and Applications for Sustainable Use) and TEAM2 (Environmental Technologies Applied to Materials).

Source:  http://www.roquette.com/