U OF S RECEIVES FUNDING TO UPGRADE COMPUTER NETWORK
Posted January 30, 2003
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For Immediate Release - Jan. 30/2003
Prepared by Saskatchewan Industry and Resources and University of
Saskatchewan Research Communications
U OF S RECEIVES FUNDING TO UPGRADE COMPUTER NETWORK
The University of Saskatchewan is receiving a major boost from the
provincial government to help upgrade the campus computer network.
The government is providing nearly $4.8 million in funding to the University
of Saskatchewan Research Network (USR-net). The funding is part of a $15
million upgrade the university is making to its computer network to handle
increased demands of both the institution's growing research programs and
the Canadian Light Source synchrotron. USR-net will connect up to 10,000
computers in more than 40 buildings and serve the networking needs of
faculty, staff and students.
Provincial support comes from the Innovation and Science Fund (ISF) and
matches the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) contribution under a
program to help universities acquire the infrastructure needed to conduct
world-class research. The remaining funding for the project will come from
the U of S, supplier discounts, and other sources.
"Our investment in USR-net ensures the research community can continue its
cutting edge work as well as accessing vital sources of information around
the world," Industry and Resources Minister Eldon Lautermilch said. "We're
committed to key infrastructure that ensures the future is wide open for our
researchers, with new opportunities, new jobs and new careers for them here
in Saskatchewan."
The total investment in USR-net will help the university meet heavier
research demands in such evolving programs as computer networking, medical
imaging, structural sciences, nanotechnology and bioinformatics. The new
infrastructure will deliver increased capacity to all researchers and
improve access to CA*Net, an optical Internet service that has been
described as the national "backbone" research network.
"Investing in state-of-the-art equipment such as USR-net is providing
Saskatchewan's researchers with the tools they need to conduct leading-edge
research," President and CEO of the Canada Foundation for Innovation David
Strangway said. "This kind of investment is critical to strengthening the
capacity of Canada's research institutions to train future researchers and
invest in our science and technology leaders."
"This critical upgrade of our campus computer network will benefit every
user, providing a tremendous boost to research and greatly benefiting our
teaching, learning and business services," U of S Acting Vice-President of
Research Bryan Harvey said. "It will also enhance our collaboration with
research groups in Canada and abroad, enabling our researchers to transfer
large amounts of data quickly and reliably."
The project is led by Rick Bunt, Associate Vice-President of Information and
Communications Technology. IBM Canada Ltd. was selected through a
competitive bidding process to provide state-of-the-art technology
infrastructure and expertise, including Cisco equipment and maintenance
services.
The Innovation and Science Fund provides support to Saskatchewan
universities, colleges, and research institutes on projects receiving
approval and funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation, the Canada
Research Chairs, the Canadian Health Services Research Foundation, and the
Canadian Institutes of Health Research.
The CFI is an independent, not-for-profit corporation established by the
government of Canada in 1997 to strengthen the capacity for innovation in
Canadian universities and research institutions.
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For more information, contact:
Bob Ellis
Industry and Resources
Regina
Phone: (306)787-8277
Email: rellis@ir.gov.sk.ca
Suzanne Quinn
Canada Foundation for Innovation
Ottawa
Phone: (613)996-3160
Email: Julie.Carl@Innovation.ca
Kathryn Warden
Research Communications
University of Saskatchewan
Saskatoon
Phone: (306)966-2506
Email: kathryn.warden@usask.ca
