Saskatchewan Research Council

Saskatchewan Research Council

After an unsuccessful attempt to form a research council in 1930, the Saskatchewan government established the Saskatchewan Research Council in 1947. The council served primarily as an agency for grants and scholarships to university researchers until 1954; its mandate then expanded to include independent research in natural and management sciences directed towards improving the provincial economy. Its own laboratories were opened in 1958, expanding in 1963.

Special expertise has been developed in a number of areas, including slurry pipelines, uranium-ore genesis, GROUNDWATER and water quality management, atmospheric sciences, building and product design, and various aspects of AGRICULTURE. The Board of Directors, appointed by the lieutenant-governor-in-council, are from government, industry and the universities.

Offices are located at Innovation Place in Saskatoon, with the exception of the Petroleum Division laboratory in Regina, which specializes in developing the province's heavy oil resources. Over 270 staff members, in 3 groups, report to a group vice-president. Seventy percent of the council's funding comes from private industry, provincial contracts and federal contracts; most of the remainder come from provincial grants. In addition to conducting and funding research, SRC issues free technical advice to small businesses, informs the public on SCIENCE POLICY issues and advises the government.