At SEREX, we conduct applied research at the college level. We're part of a network of 59 college technology transfer centres affiliated with various colleges and CEGEPs in Quebec. We're affiliated with the Cégep de Rimouski. Our laboratories are located in Amqui, in the Matapedia Valley, which is a highly forested area. Like all college technology transfer centres, we provide applied research, technical assistance and training services. Our specialties are wood processing and sustainable construction. We also have additional expertise in chemistry and biomass energy. We're a small centre compared to FPInnovations. We have 18 full-time employees, wood science researchers—engineers, chemists, technicians. Our team includes CEGEP teachers from different disciplines, such as architecture and engineering, who contribute to our research projects. We also hire students. Over the past year, 11 college and university interns have worked with us.
In the past year, our turnover amounted to just over $2 million. This enabled us to carry out over 80 applied research, technical assistance and training projects for 67 clients. We work extensively with SMEs throughout Quebec.
I said that we're part of the Synchronex network. Since 2019, we've been recognized as a technology access centre by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, or NSERC. We're part of the Tech-Access Canada network, which includes 60 college-level technology access centres across Canada.
Our two associations, Synchronex and Tech-Access Canada, have partnered with Polytechnics Canada and Colleges and Institutes Canada, which are major players in college research in Canada. Recently, they proposed a strategy to the government for investing in the applied research strength of colleges and institutes across Canada to support Canada's social and economic research and development. I won't go into the details of this request. However, it involves $165 million, divided into two parts and distributed among all the different colleges.
We're also part of a group of eight centres within Synchronex. These centres provide services in several fields related to forestry resources, such as forestry, furniture, pulp and paper, sawmilling and panels. Other research centres also work in forestry research, and we collaborate with these centres on a regular basis. This group of forestry resources consists of 250 experts, including 50 teachers. Each year, with private and public investments of $18 million, we work with over 400 clients on innovation projects. We also help train about 60 college students. Last year, we provided over 11,000 hours of internships. These are hours of student participation in projects.
I'll quickly propose a few measures to support the forestry sector's role in the fight against climate change. I heard that, in the other part of the meeting, you spoke about increasing forest management, reforestation, and so on, in order to store more carbon in the forest. This would be a good thing. I also heard that you spoke about the transition from pulp and paper mills to the production of bioproducts as a substitute for plastics.
While drawing from SEREX's expertise in the construction field, for example, we must encourage biosourced construction, low-carbon construction, not only on a structural level, but also when it comes to insulation and other bioproducts that can be incorporated into construction.
We must also work on developing added value in the sawmill sector, to avoid producing only first-level products and constantly encountering issues with the tariffs imposed by the Americans. We must maximize the use of the forest biomass as a source of bioproducts and renewable energy.
I'll be happy to provide more details when you ask questions.
Thank you for your attention.