News Release Communique
Alberta Foundation Invests $2.5 M in U of S Synchrotron
The Canadian Light Source (CLS) now under construction on the University of Saskatchewan campus will receive $2.5 million for beamline construction from the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research (AHFMR), the AHFMR announced today.
This brings the total CLS funding from Alberta sources to $9.5 million.
On February 7, the Alberta Science and Research Authority (ASRA) along with Alberta's Innovation and Science Minister Lorne Taylor announced a $6.7-million investment in CLS beamlines. Previously, the University of Alberta had committed $300,000 towards beamline design and development. Beamlines are conduits for carrying synchrotron light to scientists' workstations.
"This is very good news because the Alberta contribution is critical for beamline development at the CLS," said U of S President Peter MacKinnon. "With this new funding, we have now identified all of the $140.9 million in new construction costs for this national facility."
CLS director Michael Bancroft said, "Many scientists in Alberta have spent a huge amount of time and effort raising this money. I'd especially like to thank University of Alberta chemists Ron Cavell and Ron Kratochvil for all their work."
Also today, more funding was announced for the Alberta Synchrotron Institute (ASI), a partnership of three Alberta universities headquartered at the University of Alberta.
The institute will assist Alberta scientists in accessing synchrotron technology and encourage local industries to make use of the CLS. The ASI will also identify Alberta firms that have the capacity to build high-quality components or provide critical services for the CLS, and encourage these firms to bid for CLS contracts.
Western Economic Diversification Canada (WED) announced that today it will provide $1.5 million for the ASI. The AHFMR announced that it will contribute $500,000 for research-related activities coordinated through the institute.
Earlier this week, ASRA announced that it will provide $3.1 million for the ASI.
AHFMR President Matt Spence said: "The successful collaborations between provincial and federal organizations in realizing the establishment of ASI and the Canadian Light Source project place Alberta in a competitive position for attracting and retaining innovative researchers."
The CLS, a national facility owned by the University of Saskatchewan, will begin operations in January of 2004.
Construction of the $173.5-million stadium-sized facility on the U of S campus is on time and on budget. The building that will house the synchrotron is now complete and a dedication ceremony involving all partners will be held February 26th.
Alberta is the second province outside Saskatchewan to contribute beamline funding. The Ontario Innovation Trust announced last March that it will invest $9.4 million towards beamline development.
The synchrotron is a huge, donut-shaped ring that accelerates a stream of electrons and manipulates them to create beams of light billions of times brighter than the sun. Industrial and university researchers can then use these beamlines to observe matter at the atomic level, and gather more accurate and precise information than ever before.
The CLS will have applications in countless fields, such as pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, petrochemicals, semi-conductors, advanced materials, miniaturized machine components, and medical imaging.
CLS construction is mainly funded by the Canada Foundation for Innovation, the Canadian government, the Saskatchewan government, the Ontario Innovation Trust, the Alberta government, the University of Saskatchewan, the City of Saskatoon and SaskPower.
ASRA is an advisory body made up of leaders in Alberta's research and business community. The AHFMR has invested more than $600 million in health research in Alberta.
Information on CLS is available from the www.lightsource.ca.
For more information, contact:
Kathryn Warden
Research Communications Officer
Office of the Vice President Research
(306) 966-2506 Phone
(306) 966-2411 Fax
kathryn.warden@usask.ca
Office of the Vice-President (Research)
Joanne Mysak
Manager, Consultations, Marketing and Communications
Western Economic Diversification Canada
Saskatoon, SK
(306) 975-5942
WD Toll-Free: 1-888-338-WEST (9378)
English: http://www.wd.gc.ca
French: http://www.deo.gc.ca
Rhonda Lothammer
Associate Director, Communications
Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research
Edmonton, Alberta
(780) 423-5727
Last modified: 2012-01-19 17:01:56