Cameco gifts $10 million to USask

Cameco and the University of Saskatchewan (USask) are celebrating a partnership that will bring new opportunities to students, serve northern and Indigenous communities, support the province’s energy and mining sector, and impact global research.

The $10 million investment from Cameco, a global nuclear fuel and energy company, is one of the largest single gifts announced in USask’s campaign. With a $500 million goal, the campaign is the most ambitious in Saskatchewan’s history. Today’s announcement means USask is poised to make a very strong finish when the campaign wraps up June 18.

In addition to developing a talent pipeline of qualified scientists and engineers, the partnership has the potential to advance the mining and nuclear energy landscape in Saskatchewan and beyond as the world seeks sustainable energy solutions. Funding will support an undergraduate Nuclear Fuel Cycle program that will bring together geology, geophysics and engineering, as well as a graduate certificate in Energy and Resource Management that will convene students from across policy studies, law, sustainability, and business. This gift will also foster northern and Indigenous students’ interest in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) disciplines, starting from the earliest learners through the Science Ambassador program and the Cameco STEM Pathways Initiative at the USask Prince Albert Campus. 

Cameco’s gift will also fund groundbreaking research and innovation projects through a mining and nuclear energy technology accelerator, in conjunction with OPUS, as well as a faculty research fund to be administered through the Global Institute for Energy, Minerals and Society (GIEMS). GIEMS is a first-of-its-kind, non-profit research centre that will serve as a hub to support clean energy transition by fostering connections between the post-secondary, industry, public, and non-profit sectors. The recently launched centre is jointly supported by USask, the University of Regina, and Saskatchewan Polytechnic.

This investment builds on a strong history of support from Cameco to USask. Over the past two decades, the company gave more than $8.5 million for a variety of causes, including Indigenous health research, development of northern communities, student scholarships, research chairs, women in STEM, and Huskies events. Cameco will build on this by continuing to support student success through scholarships, work placement programs and a future fund for USask/Cameco initiatives. Cameco has decades of rich history in Saskatchewan, and USask is proud to have a grown-in-Saskatchewan success story aligned with Cameco’s work. With this recent gift, Cameco’s giving to USask now totals $18.5 million.

“At Cameco, we are incredibly proud to provide this gift to the University of Saskatchewan, which is the largest single donation in Cameco’s history. This gift will support so many students in our province, especially northern and Indigenous students to pursue STEM disciplines that can lead to careers in mining, nuclear and other related industries. This multi-disciplinary investment will not only reach engineering and geology but will also advance research in public policy, energy management and sustainability. We need to foster today’s students to be tomorrow’s leaders, innovators and builders and we believe Cameco’s investment in USask will help achieve that goal.”
-Tim Gitzel, President and CEO, Cameco

“Our supporters, alumni and friends from across Canada and around the world are coming together to invest in USask and in the projects and people who will find solutions to the world’s most complex issues. This generous gift from Cameco will help ensure USask is a leader in energy and mining research and education and builds hope for the economic future of our province.”
-Peter Stoicheff, President and Vice-Chancellor, University of Saskatchewan

“Through critical research, Indigenous achievement, inspired students, and visionary spaces, you can look to USask for the future discoveries, ideas, solutions, and the people who will make the world a better place. Donors like Cameco invest in projects that matter to their stakeholders and to the people of Saskatchewan and beyond. Cameco is helping us create impact we never could achieve on our own. We are stronger together.”
-Cheryl Hamelin, Vice-President University Relations, University of Saskatchewan

“As a student, I’d like to thank Cameco for their support. I chose engineering because it’s a chance to make a positive impact on our community by solving real-world problems. The creation of new programs focused on nuclear energy here at USask will have a great impact on our province.”
-Christopher Hansen, mechanical engineering student, University of Saskatchewan

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For media inquiries, contact:

Victoria Dinh
USask Media Relations
306-966-5487
victoria.dinh@usask.ca

Veronica Baker
Director, Communications
Corporate & Community Relations
Cameco Corporation
306-385-5541
veronica_baker@cameco.com