Targeted Impacts
While the Fedoruk Centre encourages the people of Saskatchewan to be involved in any aspect of nuclear research, development and training that they might choose, we believe it is helpful to aim for impacts in one of three main themes:
1. Environmental and social impacts of nuclear power, enabling knowledge generation to inform licensing and other decisions necessary for a clean, sustainable future
Saskatchewan is considering the deployment of nuclear technologies, including Small Nuclear Reactors (SMRs), to help eliminate the burning of fossil fuels, coal, oil and gas for a cleaner future of electricity production. The Fedoruk Centre funds research to build a community of people in Saskatchewan who can apply their disciplines (geology, water, engineering, community engagements, public perceptions, workforce availability, electrical grid management, etc.) to plan the deployment of SMRs for maximum effectiveness and minimal risk.
2. Material sciences, enabling knowledge generation with neutron-beam and other nuclear methods to support the deployment of nuclear power technologies, safety, manufacturing competitiveness and transportation
Neutron beams and other nuclear methods can often reveal new knowledge about materials that cannot be found easily otherwise. Academic and industrial researchers from Saskatchewan can be supported in accessing neutron-beam facilities in Canada and abroad to advance materials for applications in health, energy, environmental stewardship, safety and manufacturing competitiveness.
3. Nuclear imaging and therapeutic technologies, enabling knowledge generation and product developments for human or animal healthcare and food security
The Saskatchewan Cyclotron Facility, with isotope products, workstations and expert staff, is a key resource for industrial or academic researchers to learn about life processes in plants, animals and humans, or to develop new imaging probes or therapies in pre-clinical trials, all the way to commercialization and applications in health care.