Innovation Saskatchewan invests $400K in Fedoruk Centre to advance nuclear research

The funding will support up to eight research projects led by Saskatchewan-based scientists through the Fedoruk Centre’s 2024 Call for Proposals. The projects will focus on areas of nuclear science, such as nuclear energy and nuclear medicine, with priority consideration for those linked to workforce development for the deployment of nuclear technologies in Saskatchewan for energy, health and advanced materials. 

Nuclear research has become a global priority because of the renewed focus on nuclear energy as a more sustainable energy source and the high demand for nuclear-produced compounds, like medical isotopes and radiopharmaceuticals, in health care and health research.

This funding will build on the province’s commitment to advance nuclear energy priorities and leverage the Fedoruk Centre’s experience as a major production facility of nuclear materials for the global supply chain, positioning the province at the forefront of nuclear energy and medical research.

“This investment in the Fedoruk Centre will further strengthen and expand the province’s research capacity in nuclear innovation,” Minister Responsible for Innovation Saskatchewan Jeremy Harrison said. “Our government will continue to make targeted investments that support the advancement of training opportunities for Saskatchewan researchers in nuclear science at our province’s world-class research institutions.”

Formally established in 2011 by the Government of Saskatchewan and USask, the Fedoruk Centre has been a game-changing addition to the province’s research community, granting more than $8 million to support 50 nuclear research projects to date. It has been instrumental in elevating Saskatchewan’s position as a global leader in nuclear research, development and training, particularly through state-of-the-art scientific infrastructure like the Saskatchewan Cyclotron Facility, which is owned by USask and operated by the Fedoruk Centre.

“From the start, the Fedoruk Centre has aimed to empower Saskatchewan people to apply nuclear science and technologies to advance health care, food security, energy policy, material sciences and social sciences. We aspire to help strengthen Saskatchewan’s research and educational capacity to develop a highly qualified workforce for the deployment of nuclear technologies in Saskatchewan,” said Dr. John Root, Fedoruk Centre executive director.

The Fedoruk Centre is a not-for-profit corporation with USask as its sole member and an independent board of directors appointed by the USask board of governors. It has played an important role in building public awareness and education around nuclear sciences and fostering conversations around the deployment of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) in Saskatchewan, an emerging priority area for the province and country.

“Time and again, the University of Saskatchewan has been at the forefront of finding solutions to the world’s most urgent challenges, including treatments for human diseases and innovations to increase agricultural productivity. The investment from Innovation Saskatchewan in the Fedoruk Centre will help researchers develop new, cutting-edge methods to address local and global challenges using innovative nuclear technologies,” said University of Saskatchewan President Peter Stoicheff.

Since 2019, Innovation Saskatchewan has provided a total of $15 million in operational funding to the Fedoruk Centre, including $2.5 million in the 2024-25 provincial budget, along with an additional $800,000 in capital funding to renovate and equip the Innovation Wing of the Saskatchewan Cyclotron Facility.