Expert boosts Canada’s textile innovation network

30 March 2010

For immediate release

ST-HYACINTHE, Qué. – Mr. Jean-Claude Daigneault is bringing his industry and government expertise to Canada’s textile innovation network, providing a serious boost the promising technological and commercial initiatives being taken out in this increasingly specialised sector. CTT Group is pleased to announce that Daigneault will be acting as Advisor on the Compendium of Federal Funding Programs, drawing on years of experience at Industry Canada.

The innovation network is a nation-wide initiative bringing together companies from across the value-chain. It is guided by a strategic document known as the Technology Roadmap (http://www.textileroadmap.com.) Daigneault’s primary objective will be to assist companies put in place new R&D projects in order to obtain funding for new projects.

He will work with companies to link proposed technology projects with provincial and federal government programs, and meet with government program managers to explain the Roadmap and how its priorities and projects fit in with programs.

Daigneault will be meeting Roadmap members at their meeting on 23 March 2010, in Montréal. “Canadian textile companies firmly believe that the future of the industry depends on our ability to offer innovative, high-value products carefully designed to meet the needs of the international marketplace, and I am looking forward to helping them achieve this realistic and rewarding goal,” Daigneault said.

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About CTT Group: Serving the textile, geosynthetic and polymer industries, CTT Group sits at the heart of the textile innovation network and is a Canadian non-profit organization facilitating business growth through R&D and a complete range of technical and commercial activities and resources. CTT Group brings business, government and research leaders together, enabling market-driven R&D and cross-sector business networking. To learn more, visit www.gcttg.com

Contact

Mr. Jean-Claude Daigneault

Cellular: 514-781-2677

jcdaigneault@textileroadmap.com

Saint-Hyacinthe, March 16, 2010 – The $6.2 million dollars various government agencies (MDEIE, MELS, Industry Canada) have allocated to the Cégep de Saint-Hyacinthe and CTT Group (textile technology transfer centre) are arriving at a critical time in the history of the technical textile industry. A new Innovative Textiles Pavilion will be built by December 2010, thanks to this funding.

The pavilion will facilitate technological development of textiles and intelligent materials commercialized by businesses operating in key areas of our added-value economy, such as civil engineering, aerospace and transport.

“This is an excellent project which will enable the Canadian textile industry to undertake new R&D initiatives involving the most advanced technologies in the world. The positive effects of this project will flow through to the key sectors of our economy, such as aerospace, vehicle construction, defense, personal protection and health. Canadian textile businesses strongly believe that their future depends on their ability to offer high added-value, innovative products that are carefully crafted to meet the current and future requirements of domestic and international buyers. This project will give us the infrastructure we need to achieve this realistic and promising goal,” Dr. Mlynarek said.

In Québec and throughout Canada, the textile industry is working proactively and collaboratively to change its activities. Technical textiles are strategically placed within our added-value economy. CTT Group is at the heart of this trend. Businesses directly involved in this sector employ 25,000 people in Canada, of whom a large number are involved in Québec’s cluster.

These businesses are especially interested in developing highly-specialised products targeted to reach niche international markets. Considering the markets change as quickly as the technology involved, nothing is a given. However, this project will enable CTT Group to further support the industry as it will allow the organisation to further develop its range of technical, commercial and networking services, in addition to its dedicated R&D and innovation support.

The project is also a part of the Cégep de Saint Hyacinthe’s growing number of research activities, especially those it is undertaking through its technology transfer centres. The Cépeg is having a major impact on a number of businesses, with whom it is building deeper and deeper relations. The Cégep offers students a wide range of training options that are carefully linked to the market place and the teaching personnel are generous with their expertise. The Cégep de Saint-Hyacinthe offers a wide range of regular and continuing education study programmes reaching a number of specialized areas, and has an impressive number of qualified specialists available to contribute to business development.

As this industry is truly multidisciplinary, students from four different programs undertook internships at CTT Group this year, in nursing, biotechnology, IT, and chemistry. Other sectors will be involved in the future. Our strong links within our field and our numerous partnerships are at the heart of the region’s development.

CTT Group is already one of the best performing technology transfer centres in Quebec. This new pavilion will enable it to go even further and to remain a pioneer in the field of innovative textiles.

Mr. Roger Sylvestre, Chief Exectuive of the Cégep de Saint-Hyacinthe, said “CTT Group is in good hands. At the 19th annual Association de la recherche industrielle du Québec (ADRIQ) gala evening, Dr. Mlynarek, CEO and President of CTT Group, received the Bâtisseur – Système d’innovation award. This prize was given to him in recognition of this important contributions to industrial innovation and for the recognition his achievements receive beyond Québec’s borders. It’s thanks to his management and energy that CTT Group will no doubt continue to grow remarkably in terms of activity, number of clients, turnover and R&D activities dedicated to new industry textiles based on increasingly high-performance materials.”

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Source :

Nicole Tremblay, Communications Advisor

450 773-6800, or 514 875-4445 (South Shore and Montréal) ext. 207

www.gcttg.com

www.cegepsth.qc.ca