IMII enters into research funding agreements with the Universities of Regina and Saskatchewan

International Minerals Innovation Institute (IMII) is pleased to announce that it has entered into research funding agreements with the University of Regina and the University of Saskatchewan. — Photo courtesy iimi.ca

The International Minerals Innovation Institute (IMII) is pleased to announce that it has, on behalf of its mining industry and provincial government members, entered into research funding agreements with the University of Regina and the University of Saskatchewan for the development of the Mining Materials Research Cluster (Research Cluster) in Saskatchewan. The Research Cluster will examine the corrosion of materials used in the fabrication of mineral processing and mining equipment, and its supporting infrastructure, used in Saskatchewan’s potash industry.

The total budget for the Research Cluster is $2,600,000. Under the terms of the agreements, the IMII will provide $1,200,000 over four years, and Western Economic Diversification (WD) has provided a total of $915,000. Project funding is also being requested from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) and MITACS.

“The IMII is pleased that four research and development projects are poised to start up the new Research Cluster,” says Al Shpyth, IMII Executive Director. Participating in the Research Cluster and its first four projects are the University of Saskatchewan’s College of Engineering – Departments of Chemical & Biological Engineering and Mechanical Engineering, and College of Arts and Science – Department of Chemistry, the University of Regina’s Faculty of Environmental Systems Engineering, and the Canadian Light Source in Saskatoon.

“The Government of Saskatchewan welcomes the development of the Mining Materials Research Cluster and the partnership between industry, government and research institutions that has made this possible,” says Jeremy Harrison, Minister Responsible for Innovation. “The innovative efforts of this new Research Cluster have the potential to benefit the potash industry, and ultimately the province,through improved safety and reduced environmental impacts.”