(AlbertaIndex, March 20) --- Alberta will highlight its biotech and agricultural potential to an international audience in Orlando, Florida, USA this week. A delegation of more than a dozen Alberta representatives from the public and private sectors will be promoting the province to the expected 1,500 delegates.

     They will be attending the 3-day World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology and Bioprocessing. A key focus of the promotion will be a two-hour workshop, entitled “Alberta...Oil and More”, to be presented immediately before the event’s official opening ceremonies on Thursday, March 22.

      Len Bykowski, president and CEO of BioProducts Alberta, will be one of the three Alberta speakers at the workshop. The other two are Stan Blade, managing director of the Alberta Agricultural Research Institute and Denis Herard, MLA, the co-chair of the Alberta Life Sciences Institute.

      Alberta is in the rare situation of having wealth from its energy resources to support the development of a bioeconomy, using the two essential ingredients - agriculture and forestry,” said Bykowski.

      A six-minute video on the existing success and future of the oil sands will open the workshop, to set the scene for bioproducts potential in Alberta.

      Blade will use examples of some of the current advanced research projects in Alberta to illustrate the phenomenal potential in this booming international sector. Included in the examples he will present are the joint development by the Alberta Research Council and Highland Feeders in Vegreville on processes to convert cattle manure into renewable end products, including green energy, organic fertilizers and reusable water; the success of canola, leading to continued research and development of the product and further research to prove the significant potential of triticale; and research at the University of Alberta by Dr. Suresh Narine on the modification of lipids for the benefit of end users in the petrochemical and cosmetics industries.

      Speaking as the co-chair of the Alberta Life Sciences Institute, as well as a representative of the Alberta Government, Herard will outline the potential for growth in Alberta's bio sectors, by taking advantage of the existing resources and infrastructure.

      Among the organizations represented at the Congress are  Alberta Agricultural Research Institute, Alberta Life Sciences Institute, Bio Alberta, BioProducts Alberta, Ceapro Inc, IFASA, Olds College School of Innovation and the University of Alberta.

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