Technology and the Canadian Forest-Product Industries ... - ArtSites

to vet and control research priorities. Feric and Forintek also haveeastern and western subcommittees. Although the boards and researchcommittees draw from industry, government, university, and theorganizations themselves, representatives from industry dominate. In1985 the boards of directors of Paprican, Feric, and Forintek had 20, 18,and 23 members respectively of which 12, 11, and 14 were fromindustry and just two, three, and six from government. Clearly, theseorganizations are primarily oriented to the needs of industry.RationaleThe three institutions have distinct research foci. Paprican works on awide variety of projects related to the manufacture of pulp and paper;Forintek focuses on wood-processing technology and wood products;and Feric deals with wood harvesting and silviculture. Paprican hasthe strongest research capability of the three associations, which isnot surprising given its focus on technologically sophisticated pulpand paper activities. Paprican essentially focuses on "pre-commercial"basic and applied R&D, and developmental R&D that is either tooexpensive for individual members or has industry-wide applicationsof the kind that cannot be appropriated by individual forest-productfirms. Paprican also provides industry with a supply of highly trainedscientists and engineers mainly by sponsoring graduate studentresearch, especially at McGill and, since 1978, at the University ofBritish Columbia. About 80 per cent of Paprican's R&D is processoriented.Paprican does research into matters of public interest;maintains a pulp and paper library; provides computer-basedinformation retrieval services, calibration services and standards, andresearch consultation; promotes the awareness of technical needs bymeans of publications and seminars, for example; and provides pulpand paper training courses for engineers." In terms of R&D, over thepast 20 years, the most significant shift in Paprican's focus has beentoward a greater emphasis on developmental research and technologytransfer and, most recently, on product R&D. These trends have ledpeople to ask whether Papric an complements or substitutes forin-house R&D.The R&D managers who responded to the author's surveygenerally felt that Paprican was becoming more important and thatthe establishment of a facility on the campus of UBC in 1987 wouldfurther this trend. The continuing growth of Paprican within the overallforest-product R&D system generates mixed reactions. The managersof the smallest R&D programs are generally in favour. Severalother survey respondents, however, expressed concern that Papricanis becoming too service-oriented and moving away from its traditionalrole as supplier of basic and applied research to the pulp and paper38