The funding, committed to the Compute Canada initiative, will offer supports through a wide range of U of S projects including advanced research computing infrastructure, support personnel and services. The funding will be provided through Innovation Saskatchewan’s Innovation and Science Fund, over a five-year period from 2017 to 2022.
The Compute Canada Major Science Initiative 2.0 Project at the University of Saskatchewan will support research initiatives focused on global food security, the Canadian Light Source and other areas. The project is a continuation of a similar program that ran from 2012-2017. Over 480 researchers from Saskatchewan’s universities benefited from Compute Canada’s infrastructure and support services during this period, at an estimated value of $4.9 million to the province.
“From leading-edge research into global food and water security, to the innovative work done on medical beamlines at the Canadian Light Source synchrotron, University of Saskatchewan researchers are increasingly harnessing the power of supercomputers in ways that contribute to the provincial economy and to Canadian global competitiveness,” University of Saskatchewan Vice-President of Research Karen Chad said. “This investment will provide the advanced computing services needed to catapult innovation.”
Compute Canada is funded through the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) and from provinces and academic institutions, through established regional partnerships. The CFI will provide matching funding for this current project, while the University of Saskatchewan will contribute $1.1 million.
“Saskatchewan is home to innovative researchers and technical facilities, and we are proud of the remarkable work they do,” Minister Responsible for Innovation Steven Bonk said. “This initiative will provide Saskatchewan researchers with access to supercomputers that support and accelerate research into agriculture, water security and other areas important to the province.”
Compute Canada operates with a team of over 200 experts who support research teams in a nation-wide network of 37 institutions and partner universities, including the Universities of Regina and Saskatchewan. Seven of these experts are located in Saskatchewan.