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| Bio Base Europe Training Centre  Bio Base Europe, the Biopark Terneuzen and Ghent Bio-Energy Valley joint initiative launched in April 2009, has said its new bio-focused Training Centre is on course to open in early 2011. The Bio Base Europe initiative will be the first of its kind to include both a Pilot Plant and a Training Centre dedicated to bio-based industry and aims to support and accelerate the development of a sustainable bio-based economy in Europe. It is the largest Interreg project ever granted to the Dutch-Flemish border region and is set to transform the region into the main bio-economy gateway in Europe.Representing an investment of 8 million euros, the Bio Base Europe Training Centre will house the facilities and expertise to provide education and training for process operators, and is intended to become Europe's leading knowledge centre on the bio-based industry. It will also focus on promoting and enhancing public awareness of bio-based technology and its contribution to society. The new Training Centre is jointly co-funded by Interreg IV (the European Union interregional development programme), the Flemish (BE) government, and the Dutch government and Terneuzen local authorities. It will be based in Terneuzen, The Netherlands, and is on course to be operational by the first quarter of 2011. In keeping with its sustainability focus, the Training Centre facility will be an entirely self-reliant energy efficient building based on renewable solar and wind energy. Peter van den Kieboom, Project Manager of the Bio Base Europe Training Centre commented: "We believe this is a genuine industry-first, and we have not come across a similar project to our Training Centre anywhere in the world. Developing a sustainable, bio-based economy is vital to Europe's long term prosperity and our aim is to support this by being the recognized centre of excellence providing training, education, knowledge-sharing and expertise to Europe's bio-industry." Training and education will be at the heart of the new centre's activities with plans to run standard and custom-tailored multi-language courses in English, French, Dutch and German. Courses will be designed to complement existing courses offered in schools and technical colleges, but will provide added depth and focus and ultimately aims to address the current industry-wide shortage of qualified bio-based process operators and technical maintenance specialists. Participants for the training course will include people currently working in the bio-based industry, students from the surrounding region looking to supplement their education with a bio-focused specialization and also trainers and teachers from secondary and vocational technical schools. The facility will include an extensive array of testing and production apparatus for bio-fuel and renewable energy production including bio diesel, bio ethanol, bio gas, wind turbines, photovoltaic cells and heat exchange pumps offering students expanded possibilities to train more extensively with operating equipment. The Training Centre will also function as a networking and knowledge-sharing centre for the bio-industry, linking companies, technicians, entrepreneurs and research institutes with each other and with the information they seek. To further develop this, an intensive program of monthly seminars and congresses will be held. Finally, the centre aims to increase public awareness of bio-based technology and bio-based products and processes in general. This will involve a range of promotional initiatives targeting students, the general public, NGOs and government bodies that will for example include school visits to promote bio-based technical career opportunities. Moreover, Bio-Based companies will be able to showcase specific projects in the dedicated exposition area within the facility which will be open to the public. write your comments about the article :: © 2009 Construction News :: home page |