Members of the Forest Products Industry of the Future Team are employees of the Industrial Technologies Program (ITP) within the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. They work with the industry to:
- Target R&D solicitations to industry priorities
- Share R&D costs for qualified projects
- Maintain a balanced R&D portfolio
- Involve industry in technical reviews
- Showcase R&D results
- Facilitate updates to the vision and roadmaps
- Provide tools and other resources to boost energy efficiency and productivity today
- Coordinate with other government offices
Background
Forest Products is one of nine energy- and waste-intensive industries that is collaborating with the U.S. Department of Energy's Industrial Technologies Program (ITP) through a process known as "Industries of the Future."
The Program's primary role is to invest in high-risk, high-value research and development (R&D) that will reduce the energy requirements of industry while stimulating economic productivity and growth. The Industries of the Future (IOF) has become a model of how the Federal government can partner with industry to effectively plan and implement a robust, comprehensive R&D agenda.
The Forest Products IOF engages pulp, paper and wood products companies and other stakeholders in defining the industry's long-term goals, technology challenges, and research priorities, which are articulated in a series of vision and roadmap documents. ITP analyzes the technology needs described in these documents to identify synergies with the Program's own energy efficiency priorities.
The IOF process encourages cost-shared, collaborative research that engages multiple partners to attract broad technical capabilities, reduce financial burdens and increase commitment within the industry. Currently, the program manages more than 40 R&D; projects in the Forest Products IOF portfolio. The IOF partnership also helps to disseminate and share best energy management practices and energy system analysis tools available from DOE and other organizations.
Other ITP programs make contributions toward achieving the goals of Agenda 2020. Relevant R&D is being conducted by other vision industries (e.g., Chemicals), and by crosscutting technology programs (e.g., combustion, materials, sensor and process control systems, and industrial energy systems such as combined heat and power), and by financial assistance programs (NICE3 and Inventions and Innovations). Technical assistance programs (e.g., Best Practices, Industrial Assessment Centers) are also available to help industry determine how and when to implement technologies and techniques that can reduce energy use and improve competitiveness right now.
The Forest Products Industry of the Future program also works with the Laboratory Coordinating Council to link the expertise and capabilities of DOE's national laboratories and facilities to the industry's research needs. The Pulp and Paper Education and Research Alliance (PPERA) (a cooperative alliance of eleven academic institutions) also participates in the Agenda 2020 process and draws the nation's top academic researchers into the process. |
