Two Saskatchewan research centres will receive one-third of $39-million awarded to seven facilities across the country by the Canadian government.
The announcement was made Monday at the Canadian Light Source (CLS), located at the University of Saskatchewan (U of S) in Saskatoon.
CLS, Canada’s only synchrotron, said the roughly $11.5-million funding it will receive over two years will allow it to hire about 30 more staff, mainly to provide higher levels of customer service for beamline users, as well as maintenance, and facility upgrades.
For VIDO-InterVac, also located at U of S, the announcement means $1.86 million for fiscal years 2018-19 and 2019-2020.
Volker Gerdts, the director VIDO-InterVac, said the funds will be used to complete key maintenance and upgrades, and reduce the costs for research. He added it will also help the centre expand the list of emerging diseases it investigates.
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“With two of the seven facilities, the University of Saskatchewan is well supported in its ambitions to be the university the world needs through cutting-edge research that improves human and animal health, agriculture, and the environment,” U of S president Peter Stoicheff said in a press release.
“This significant increase in federal funding for the largest of Canada’s scientific facilities is crucial to Canada’s success as a global leader in innovation and discovery.”
The $39-million federal investment involves a revised funding formula intended to help ensure the long-term sustainability of these research facilities, government officials said, by alleviating budget pressures related to challenges in securing partner funding contributions.
“These leading research facilities help position Canada as a top destination for world-class research and allow our researchers to make fantastic discoveries, strengthen Canada’s social fabric and international competitiveness, and help train the next generation of our highly skilled workforce,” Federal Science Minister Kirsty Duncan said in a statement.
Other Canadian research facilities receiving funding are: Ocean Networks Canada, SNOLAB, CCGS Amundsen, Ocean Tracking Network, and Canada’s National Design Network.