Clean Industry: The Stewart and Lynda Resnick Sustainability Center for Catalysis 

Over the past year, the RSCC moved from vision to momentum as plans have advanced toward construction for a purpose-built sustainability building. Core features of the new building include: 

Breakthrough technology: It will house more than $25 million in advanced robotics and AI-enabled research equipment. 

Spaces built for connection: It is designed with open, modular laboratory spaces and multiple shared common areas such as a large atrium, several lounges, and a terrace with sitting areas made to foster meaningful collaboration. 

Sustainable by design: It will be the first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)-certified building on the Technion campus.  

The Pomegranate Initiative 

Distinguished Professor Ilan Marek, a member of the Schulich Faculty of Chemistry and director of the Stewart and Lynda Resnick Sustainability Center for Catalysis, isn’t waiting for the building to be finished to bring the RSCC vision to life. “We’re creating a community of faculty members who are working together,” he said. Each month, researchers gather informally to exchange ideas, challenge assumptions, and explore new questions. The value of those exchanges became clear when Stewart Resnick posed a question to Marek that he hadn’t considered before: Resnick’s company, The Wonderful Company, produces more than 65,000 tons of pomegranate waste every year. What could be done with it? For Marek and his colleagues, the answer wasn’t obvious. “I’m a chemist,” he recalled. “I had never thought about pomegranate waste in my life. None of us had.”  

So they did what this community is designed to do: They brought people together. Experts from medicine, food engineering, materials science, and even an Orthodox Jewish professor — who offered a brief perspective on the pomegranate’s significance in the Bible— sat around a table. Within three hours, five directions emerged. Researchers then refined those ideas through follow-up sessions, Ph.D.- led collaboration, and a Pomegranate Waste Hackathon, ultimately narrowing it down to three possible projects — one of which has already secured $1 million in support. “This is the power of interdisciplinarity,” Marek said. “None of us had thought about this before. But when you bring people together around a challenge, it becomes exciting — and that’s when solutions begin.”  

The 3 innovative solutions: 

Pomwood HACKATHON WINNER  

What if construction materials could come from fruit waste? By reengineering the fibers found in pomegranate peels, researchers are developing durable, sustainable building materials. What was once discarded could become part of the built environment — turning agricultural waste into a new resource for industry.  

Antioxidant paper wrap 

A simple idea with powerful impact: using pomegranate peel to keep food fresh. The peel is naturally rich in antioxidants — the same compounds that make the fruit healthy and slow the chemical reactions that cause food to spoil. Researchers have transformed it into a paper wrap that actively protects fish and meat from rotting, thereby reducing odor, discoloration, and waste. Instead of just containing food, this material also extends freshness.  

Soluble functional fibers $1 MILLION SUPPORT RECIPIENT  

Supported by The Wonderful Company, this research transforms pomegranate waste into health-enhancing dietary fibers that can be reintegrated into the food supply. Preliminary results, achieved by early 2025, demonstrate strong potential for real‑world impact.