Research in Saskatchewan is helping to plan, develop and execute innovative ideas.
For decades, Saskatchewan has been a global powerhouse in agriculture, potash, uranium, oil and gas, and forestry production. Today, the province has an opportunity to drive investment in new and emerging sectors, such as critical mineral exploration, development, and processing, as well as advanced manufacturing and investment in clean technologies.
Now, as the world seeks innovative options, the province is embracing new opportunities to support and invest in emerging sectors that lead to a Strong. Sustainable. Saskatchewan.
- Abundant natural resources
- World-renowned agricultural products
- Competitive tax incentives
- Proximity and easy market access
- Strong and talented workforce
Those are just some of what makes Saskatchewan an outstanding place to invest and do business. With a world-class research community and innovation infrastructure, Saskatchewan is a world leader in research, development, and production – the ideal hub for innovators across key industries.
Take a look at the many globally renowned science and research organisations that call Saskatchewan home. They play a crucial role in helping to develop, enhance, and distribute innovations to tackle the world’s future challenges.
Global Institute for Food Security
The Global Institute for Food Security (GIFS) at the University of Saskatchewan works with partners to discover, develop and deliver globally recognised, innovative solutions for the production of sustainable food.
Collaborating with academics, producers, governments, and industry, GIFS is helping to build a food-secure world from Saskatchewan out by decreasing the time between the discovery of scientific innovations and delivery to market.
Today, GIFS is working towards these goals through its market-driven programmes and technology platforms. This includes the Farm Credit Canada (FCC) Accelerated Breeding Program at GIFS, a collaborative initiative to accelerate innovation in agriculture, driving productivity, competitiveness and sustainability for Canadian farmers and agri-food stakeholders.
Through the FCC Accelerated Breeding Program, public and private breeding organisations can leverage GIFS’ genomic selection, speed breeding, bioinformatics, and computer simulation capabilities to increase the rate of genetic gain in crop and livestock breeding programmes and bring new innovations to producers faster.
These and other initiatives at GIFS are promoting agricultural sustainability and resiliency – helping sectors meet the challenges and opportunities of today and tomorrow.
Saskatchewan Food Industry Development Centre
The Saskatchewan Food Industry Development Centre Inc. (Food Centre) is a one-stop shop for bringing food and beverage products to market. With more than 60 full-time staff and over 73,000 square feet of facility space, they serve local and international clients alike. They’re a powerful partner for agri-food innovation.
Services offered at the Food Centre include:
- Product development and process innovation
- Co-manufacturing and interim processing
- Engineering and process authority
- Ingredient science and technology
- Fermentation and bioengineering
- Extrusion research and development and processing suites
- Food safety training and skills development
- Pathfinding assistance
- And more!
The Food Centre is also a leader in plant-protein innovation. Plant proteins are among the top global food trends, and demand is continuing to grow. They specialise in turning Saskatchewan-grown pulses into high-quality plant-based food products and ingredients. These include dairy alternatives, meat alternatives, texturised plant proteins, and plant-based snacks.
Saskatchewan Research Council
Saskatchewan Research Council (SRC) is Canada’s second-largest research and technology organisation. They support innovation and industrial commercialisation for customers around the world.
The SRC recently opened its brand new Rare Earth Processing Facility in Saskatoon, the first of its kind in North America. This ground-breaking facility produces rare earth elements at a commercial scale and can ship them around the world.
On top of this one-of-a-kind facility, the SRC has many other labs and facilities across industries. These include:
- Geoanalytical laboratories
- Environmental analytical laboratories
- Diamond laboratory
- Mineral processing labs and pilot plants
- Centre for the Demonstration of Emissions Reductions
- Pipe Flow Technology Centre
- Advanced Microanalysis Centre
- And more!
Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization
The Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO) has been a world leader in infectious disease research and vaccine development for humans and animals for almost half a century, including producing eight commercialised vaccines, six of which were world firsts.
VIDO is establishing itself as Canada’s Centre for Pandemic Research, including new infrastructure for vaccine manufacturing and a new facility that houses a wider range of animals to further expand its preclinical research development capacity.
VIDO will also soon house Canada’s only non-government Containment Level 4 facility, which will enable scientists to work with all pathogens, including some considered the world’s most dangerous. This is in addition to its Containment Level 2 and 3 laboratory space and animal housing.
VIDO has leveraged its robust strengths, including over 180 personnel from more than 35 countries, to grow its networks and partner with preeminent institutions around the world, tackling urgent global health issues. This includes working with both public and private organisations in the European Union and UK like:
- The Friedrich-Loeffler Institute in Germany
- The Vaccine Formulation Institute in Switzerland
- The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations in Norway
- Oxford University
- Moredun Research Institute
- The Royal Veterinary College
- The Pirbright Institute
These multiple achievements, enhancements and international partnerships have been crucial to VIDO’s mission of protecting the world from infectious diseases. With its integration of capacity, capabilities, and expert personnel, VIDO is well-positioned to lead a coordinated international effort in preparation for future pandemics and support vaccine development globally.
Canadian Light Source
The Canadian Light Source (CLS) is a major national research facility and home to the only synchrotron in Canada. This unique infrastructure offers a huge advantage over conventional research techniques and allows scientists to utilise beamlines across a wide range of research areas.
More than 1,000 academic, government and industry scientists from around the world access the CLS every year. Since 2005, the facility has enabled more than 6,500 scientists from 44 countries and over 1,000 international scientific collaborations to make ground-breaking discoveries and advancements in innovative health, agriculture, environment, and advanced materials research.
CLS also offers a wide range of industry services on a fee-for-service basis, enabling businesses to leverage the knowledge of synchrotron experts. The CLS Industry Services team has a broad range of technical expertise paired with exceptional customer service and can provide invaluable insights into sample composition and structure, spanning macro to molecular scale to help solve research and development problems that are not easily answered through conventional analytical techniques.
From creating new cancer-fighting drugs to developing more climate-resistant crops and supporting cleantech and green mining processes, CLS’s infrastructure and experts help researchers solve problems, train the next generation of scientists, and support industries in becoming more efficient and sustainable.
The Sylvia Fedoruk Canadian Centre for Nuclear Innovation, Inc
The Sylvia Fedoruk Canadian Centre for Nuclear Innovation (Fedoruk Centre) is a nonprofit scientific resource for the nuclear sector. They work to position Saskatchewan among the global leaders in nuclear research, development, and training. They also operate the Saskatchewan Cyclotron Facility, which is owned by the University of Saskatchewan.
Their five main offerings include:
- Research funding for eligible projects on nuclear topics
- Investment to establish new faculty positions in nuclear subjects
- Production of radioisotopes for purchase, contract manufacturing, research and healthcare
- Cyclotron laboratory services for users from industry and academia
- Consulting services for the public, policymakers or other nuclear organisations
This Class II nuclear facility includes a 24 MeV cyclotron and accompanying labs for safe handling of a wide array of radionuclides. Unlike many similar facilities, it is made accessible to external researchers and companies on a fee-for-service basis so they can innovate, create, and test new products. Their growing community of scientists and experts working at the facility are a valuable resource for the research and development field.
Saskatchewan: A rare ecosystem for global research
The Government of Saskatchewan is committed to supporting innovation across key industries and further enhancing its research and technology ecosystems to meet and exceed global needs. This includes ensuring the province is fostering a competitive environment where all businesses can succeed.
Recently, the government released ‘Securing the Next Decade of Growth: Saskatchewan’s Investment Attraction Strategy’, which serves as a roadmap to increase investment in the province and grow the economy. This investment strategy, alongside the government’s 2030 Growth Plan, is focused on building opportunities in new and emerging sectors, growing existing sectors and connecting the world to Saskatchewan.
The Government of Saskatchewan has created a competitive business environment through low tax and utility rates, an expanding focus on red tape reduction and regulatory modernisation, client-focused services for current and prospective investors, a skilled workforce and a network of nine international offices. These offices connect Saskatchewan to markets across the world with boots-on-the-ground support in:
- United Kingdom
- Germany
- China
- India
- Japan
- Mexico
- Singapore
- Vietnam
- United Arab Emirates
Saskatchewan is truly here and around the world
Saskatchewan is ready to embrace its future as a global leader in research and development and showcase its robust innovation ecosystem to the world. As one of the world’s strongest agri-science ecosystems, the province has extended that drive and experience to growing unique clusters in the innovation space to develop endless opportunities for investors and researchers.
With its collaborative environment where stakeholders in industry, academia, and government all work together to facilitate projects from idea to market, Saskatchewan has helped the world’s industries bridge the gap between the creation and commercialisation.
All of this and more is the Saskatchewan Advantage. Want to experience it today? Visit InvestSK.ca.
Please note, this article will also appear in the 20th edition of our quarterly publication.
