U of S Research Projects Receive $4.3M From Province

Posted April 06, 2001


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - April 5, 2001

U of S RESEARCH PROJECTS RECEIVE $4.3 M FROM PROVINCE

(Prepared by Saskatchewan Economic and Co-operative Development)

Key research and development projects at the University of Saskatchewan are
receiving a major boost of more than $4.3 million in funding from the
provincial government.

The projects are being funded through the provincial Innovation and Science
Fund, which nurtures research excellence at the province?s universities and
research institutions through matching contributions.

"Saskatchewan has a reputation as a leader in research and development in
Canada," said Economic and Co-operative Development Minister Eldon
Lautermilch. "These projects will enhance the r & d capabilities at our two
universities, and they underscore our commitment to nurturing a culture of
research excellence in Saskatchewan."

Six of the projects will receive contributions from the Canada Foundation
for Innovation (CFI), which will be matched by the province. These include:

- $1,511,570 to purchase state-of-the-art major equipment to establish
facilities for biomolecular research at the university.
- $363,370 to purchase hardware and software for a bioinformatics and
computational biology research laboratory at the university.
- $358,275 to purchase equipment needed for an agent based mobile and
computing laboratory at the university.
- $176,800 for the purchase of equipment to establish a pulse crop genomics
laboratory at the university.
- $125,292 for a stereoscopic particle image velocimetry system.
- $772,972 to the University of Saskatchewan and the University of Regina to
participate in the Canadian National Site Licensing Project, a nation-wide
university library initiative to license electronic versions of scholarly
journals and research databases.

The province will also contribute $35,000 to the University of Saskatchewan
to participate in a national study on the nature of registered nursing
practice with rural and remote Canada. This project will also receive
matching funding from the Canadian Health Services Research Foundation
(CHSRF).

As well, the government is providing $1,000,000 to the University of
Saskatchewan as an initial contribution to the Canada Research Chairs
Program (CRCP), which fosters research excellence in Canadian universities,
research institutes and hospitals. The provincial funding is in addition to
funding that will be received from CRCP.

"The Canada Foundation for Innovation is proud to be an integral part of
these research projects," CFI President and CEO Dr. David Strangway said.
"These funding investments and partnerships contribute to strengthening
research capacity and to support the development of innovation and
world-class expertise, which will lead to beneficial results for the
Province of Saskatchewan and Canadian society

"The University of Saskatchewan is delighted that the Saskatchewan
government will provide $1 million to help launch our Canada Research Chairs
which we expect will be announced soon by the federal government,"
University of Saskatchewan Vice President of Research Dr. Michael Corcoran.
"This money, along with the $3.3 million in provincial matching money for
our CFI projects, will help
build research capacity at the U of S in a variety of areas that are
economically and socially important to Saskatchewan and to Canada."

The CFI is an independent, not-for-profit organization established by the
federal government in 1997 to strengthen the capacity for innovation in
Canadian universities, colleges, hospitals, and not-for-profit research
institutions.

The Innovation and Science Fund is a $10 million annual fund that provides
funding to Saskatchewan universities, colleges, and research institutes in
support of projects receiving approval and funding from the Canada
Foundation for Innovation (CFI), the Canada Research Chairs (CRC), the
Canadian Health Services Research Foundation (CHSRF), and the Canadian
Institutes for Health Research (CHIR).

For more information contact:

Bob Ellis
Economic and Co-operative
Development
Regina
(306) 787-1691

Suzanne Corbeil
Canada Foundation for Innovation
(613) 996-4403

Kathryn Warden
University of Saskatchewan
Saskatoon
(306) 966-2506