Over the years, Resolute Forest Products has provided substantial financial support to universities and colleges to improve education outcomes in our operating communities and to help spark innovation in the forest products sector. In 2021, Resolute donated funds for scholarships, bursaries, research grants and training programs totaling more than $290,000. Here are some examples of our support for education and research.
Centre for Multi-Resource Entrepreneurships
Resolute supports the Centre entreprenariat multi-ressources (CEMR) in Dolbeau-Mistassini (Quebec) through an annual contribution of C$50,000. The CEMR is a non-profit organization that supports entrepreneurship and business development in natural resources.
Confederation College TEC Hub
In 2018, Resolute announced a C$150,000 contribution over five years to Confederation College’s Technology, Education and Collaboration (TEC) Hub Campaign in Thunder Bay (Ontario). The partnership is helping to establish the state-of-the art training center with best-in-class training opportunities for the region’s youth, as well as developing of a growing pool of highly educated talent ready to begin careers in the forest products sector.
Lakehead University and CRIBE
Resolute proudly supports the research carried out at Lakehead University and the Centre for Research and Innovation in the Bio-Economy (CRIBE) in Thunder Bay in order to explore potential opportunities for sustainable development and developing the circular economy. In addition to collaborating with CRIBE on an aerial imaging initiative, our support for academic research at Lakehead University has focused on: investigations into the environmental impacts of biomass harvest and wastewater treatment processes; assessing climate change impacts on timber resources; the production of water soluble products from tall oil lignin; and benchmarking and modeling caribou and multi-species adaptive management in Northwestern Ontario. In 2020, we contributed over C$100,000 to seven different research chairs at the university, as well as an equivalent amount in in-kind donations.
Laval University – FORAC
Resolute’s annual C$60,000 research grant to the FORAC Research Consortium in Quebec City (Quebec) helps explore ways to improve and align product capacity with short-term product needs, including developing tools to permit the joint planning and operation of wood supply systems. FORAC is a partnership between forest products industry stakeholders and Laval University that brings together specialists with expertise in forestry engineering, industrial engineering, mechanical engineering, and information technology.
Laval University – Indigenous Forestry
Resolute renewed a five-year, C$175,000 commitment to fund Laval University's educational leadership chair in Indigenous forestry via the Quebec Forest Industry Council.
University of Quebec at Chicoutimi
In early 2017, the company committed to a donation of C$1 million over five years toward the creation of an industrial research chair sponsored by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada at the University of Quebec at Chicoutimi (UQAC) in Saguenay (Quebec). Our contribution, along with that of the Government of Quebec and UQAC, supported research on the boreal forest, concluding in 2021.