News Release Communique
Canadian Light Source Partners Celebrate Building Completion and Full Capital Funding
SASKATOON, SK. More than 250 top government officials, business leaders and scientists from across Canada attended a dedication ceremony today to mark completion of the massive building that will soon be home to Canada's first, state-of-the-art synchrotron - the $173.5 million Canadian Light Source (CLS) at the University of Saskatchewan.
Construction of the U of S-owned national synchrotron facility - Canada's biggest scientific project in more than 30 years -- is on time and on budget. Key components of the huge, light-generating device are now on order. The first light will shine down beamlines to scientists' workstations in January of 2004, providing an extraordinary new research tool for Canadian universities, scientific institutions, and industry.
Today's ceremony also marked the recent achievement of full funding for the $140.9 million in new construction costs (an existing building and other equipment account for the remaining $32.6-million of the project's $173.5-million total value).
The project's first commercial investor ($500,000 from Boehringer Ingelheim (Canada) Ltd.) and first dedicated research chair ($500,000 from GlaxoSmithKline) were also announced (see attached news releases). Both contributions will be matched by Saskatchewan Economic and Co-operative Development.
"The fact that we've been able to raise this money and make this national dream a bricks-and-mortar reality is a tremendous testament to the unprecedented level of collaboration among governments, universities and industry across Canada," said U of S President Peter MacKinnon. "This unique facility offers a tremendous research and training opportunity for the U of S and for all the other 18 universities that have endorsed this project across Canada."
MacKinnon welcomed the CLS's newest provincial partner, Alberta, which earlier this month announced new beamline funding from various sources totalling $9.2 million. He noted that funding is now in place for the first suite of six beamlines. The CLS is now looking ahead to the next phase of the project which will be to find funding from other provinces and industry to build the full complement of 30 beamlines, he said.
Using powerful magnets and radio frequency waves, the synchrotron will accelerate electrons to nearly the speed of light, producing intense light beams for probing the structure of matter with unprecedented accuracy and precision. This could lead to new drugs, more powerful computer microchips, better engine lubricants, new materials for safer medical implants and a host of other applications.
"The Canadian Light Source synchrotron is a symbol of the culture of research excellence we are nurturing here in Saskatchewan," said Saskatchewan Premier Lorne Calvert. "We are building an infrastructure of innovation that will lead to new jobs and opportunities for Saskatchewan people."
CLS will have applications in fields as diverse as medical imaging, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, mining, petrochemicals, semi-conductors, advanced materials, and miniaturized machine components. Estimates are that by 2015, the CLS could attract as much as $35 million a year to Canada in commercial research and development spending.
"The Canadian Light Source synchrotron is a beacon of innovation that reflects the federal government's plan to make Canada one of the most innovative countries in the world," said the Honourable Ron J. Duhamel, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Secretary of State (Western Economic Diversification) and (Francophonie). "It will energize the western Canadian economy and attract the best scientists and researchers from around the globe."
"The Canadian Light Source illustrates the Government of Canada's commitment to investing in research and development to ensure that Canadians are equipped with the skills and the knowledge to find new ways of doing things," said Dr. Gilbert Normand, Secretary of State (Science, Research and Development) on behalf of the Honourable Brian Tobin, Minister of Industry. "Congratulations on completing the outer shell."
"We view the City of Saskatoon's $2.4 million involvement as an investment in our future -- the future of research and development, the future of economic development, and the future of job creation in our community," Saskatoon Deputy Mayor Patricia Roe. "And with the official opening of the facility to house the synchrotron, our future continues to shine brightly."
The CLS has received $56.4 million from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI), an independent, not-for-profit organization established by the federal government in 1997 to address an urgent need of Canada's research community: new state-of-the-art research infrastructure.
"The CLS is a true Canadian research success story," said Dr. David Strangway, CFI President and CEO. "This project of national scope will bring together researchers from a number of universities in a facility that was made possible by the vision and the commitment of the local community and all levels of government. It is an excellent example of the type of project that will have a profound impact on many aspects of the lives of Canadians and contribute to strengthening Canada's scientific leadership."
Other capital funding includes: $28.3 million from the federal government (National Research Council, Western Economic Diversification, Natural Resources Canada), $25 million from the Government of Saskatchewan, $9.4 million from the Ontario Innovation Trust, $7.3 million from the U of S, $6.7 million from the Alberta government, $2.5 million from the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research, $2.4 million from the City of Saskatoon, $2 million from SaskPower Corp., $500,000 from Boehringer Ingelheim, and $300,000 from each of the universities of Alberta and Western Ontario.
The CLS operating budget is estimated at $13.8 million per year. Of this, $8.6 million per year is in place -- from NSERC ($4.6 million), the National Research Council ($2 million), Canadian Institutes of Health Research ($1 million), and the U of S ($1 million). The rest is to be raised through user fees (for non-academic users) and other sources.
"Today is a significant milestone on the way to first experimental beams of light in 2003," said CLS Director Dr. Michael Bancroft. "The key to continued success, and the addition of growth beamlines in the coming years, is the unprecedented collaboration of universities, government and industry in the synchrotron partnership."
Information on CLS is available from the www.lightsource.ca.
For more information, contact:
Joanne Mysak
Manager, Consultations, Marketing and Communications
Western Economic Diversification Canada
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
(306) 975-5942
7WD Toll-Free No.: 1-888-338-WEST (9378)
WD World Wide Web site: English - www.wd.gc.ca French
- www.deo.gc.ca
Suzanne Corbeil
Coordinator of Public Events/Coordonnatrice des évènements spéciaux
Canada Foundation for Innovation/ Fondation cannadienne pour l'innovation
Tel: (613) 996-4403
Fax: (613) 943-0923
Cell: (613) 294-6247
Chris Dekker
Communications Manager
City of Saskatoon
(306) 975-3207
Val Mellesmoen
Alberta Innovation and Science
(780) 780-415-4761
Cellular: (780) 915-2443
val.mellesmoen@gov.ab.ca
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)
Nancy Bernini
Synchrotron Program Coordinator
Natural Resources Canada
Tel: (613) 995-7602
Fax: (613) 992-8874
Tim Nau
Director of Communications/Directeur de Communications
NSERC/CRSNG
tél.: 613-995-5993
télec.: 613-943-0742
txn@nserc.ca
Andrew Matejcic
Communications Planning Officer
CIHR/IRSC
Tel.: (613) 954-7143
Fax: (613) 954-6653
www.cihr.ca
amatejcic@cihr.ca
Rhonda Lothammer
Associate Director, Communications
Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research
(780) 423-5727
CANADIAN LIGHT SOURCE
Other Comments from Funding Partners
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"The Canadian Light Source synchrotron will put Saskatchewan on the scientific map," said Saskatchewan Economic and Co-operative Development Minister Eldon Lautermilch. "This project demonstrates the government's commitment to economic growth and job creation through innovation."
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"An important part of NRC's mandate is to champion large-scale facilities and infrastructure that are essential to meet the strategic needs of Canada's research community," said Dr. Arthur Carty, President of NRC. "The National Research Council has continually emphasized the need for national facilities like the Canadian Light Source so that Canadian scientists and engineers have access to scientific infrastructure beyond the scope of any one university or organization. The CLS will stimulate and support a culture of science and innovation, giving Canada a leading role in the global S&T community, and help attract, train and retain our brightest young scientists and engineers."
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"The potential of synchrotron light is enormous," said Dr. Irwin Itzkovitch, Assistant Deputy Minister, on behalf of Minister Ralph Goodale, Natural Resources Canada. "Its application in many scientific fields is only just beginning to be explored. It is my belief that Canada's first synchrotron facility will help maintain Canada as the world's "smartest" natural resources steward, developer, user and exporter."
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"It is very important for the nation to have a big, modern facility where a lot of small, leading-edge science will be done by Canadian researchers from many disciplines who require very powerful X-rays," says Dr. Tom Brzustowski, President of NSERC.
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"Like the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the synchrotron is an excellent demonstration of what can be achieved when committed partners come together in pursuit of a common goal. I am proud that CIHR is among these partners," said Steven Lewis, Member of the Governing Council, Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).
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"The Canadian Light Source is a cutting-edge installation for Canadian researchers to use, and through the Alberta Synchrotron Institute, Alberta scientists will receive support for research and personnel," said Dr. Robert Church, Chair of the Alberta Science and Research Authority. "Alberta's investment in this facility is a critical part of our provincial Life Sciences Strategy, which also includes funding initiatives in proteomics, Genome Prairie and research excellence."
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"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," said Dr. Matt Spence, President and CEO of the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research. "In Alberta, AHFMR has pioneered investment in top-notch health researchers. Our commitment to this initiative is one more example of our long-term investment for very positive future outcomes."
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"The Ontario Innovation Trust is proud to support the Canadian Light Source (CLS) synchrotron project, through a $9.4-million investment in the Ontario Synchrotron Consortium to create a partnership among Canadian researchers and the CLS project," said Michael Gourley, Chair of the Board of Directors of the Ontario Innovation Trust. "This investment is part of an Ontario- and Canada-wide strategy to build world-class centres of research that will attract and retain top researchers and scientists."
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"At Boehringer Ingelheim, we are extremely pleased to contribute to the construction of this state-of-the-art facility," said Dr. Paul Anderson, Senior Vice-President R&D of Boehringer Ingelheim (Canada) Ltd. "The protein crystallography beamline will be an invaluable tool for our scientists and other Canadian researchers. This investment is a further example of our commitment to research and development in Canada."
Last modified: 2012-01-19 17:01:46