Overview
The University of Regina - with campuses located in Regina and Saskatoon on Treaty 4 and Treaty 6 territories, the ancestral lands of the Cree, Saulteaux, Dakota, Nakoda, and Lakota nations and the homeland of the Métis - is a comprehensive, mid-sized university.
Two of the five areas of focus in the University’s 2020-2025 Strategic Plan, All Our Relations kahkiyaw kiwâhkômâkaninawak are Discovery and Environment and Climate Action. These areas of focus drive our interest and motivation for engagement on SMRs. We agree that SMRs could help Canadians achieve a low-carbon future. Accordingly, the University of Regina is committed to the Statement of Principles as an over-arching vision for SMRs in Canada.
Providing high-quality and accessible education, influential research and meaningful scholarly experiences in pursuit of local and global contributions to knowledge is our mission and this is our role in the SMR ecosystem. Our values include equity, diversity and inclusion; Indigenous ways of knowing and being; and, community and social responsibility.
We envision having the capacity and capability to make a meaningful contribution to establishing SMRs as a low-carbon energy source for Saskatchewan. This includes research and development activities related to nuclear reactor technologies as well as academic programming and experiential learning for our students to help prepare the next generation of nuclear science and technology talent. Our vision also includes having the research infrastructure necessary to provide valuable, hands-on experiential learning. We are working collaboratively with our partners including SaskPower, the Saskatchewan Research Council, the Sylvia Fedoruk Canadian Centre for Nuclear Innovation (the Fedoruk Centre), and the Government of Saskatchewan Nuclear Secretariat on the actions described in the following section.
Our goal is to have our research chairs in place over the next 18 months with our academic programming established 12 months after that. The centrepiece of our infrastructure vision – the test loop – is anticipated to be in place within the next three to five years. Public engagement through the nuclear reactor siting project has been underway for several months.
ACTIONS
CAPACITY, ENGAGEMENT, AND PUBLIC CONFIDENCE
Increase research capacity through chairs
STATUS: IN PROGRESS
URG01
Responds to SMR Roadmap recommendation(s): 48
ACTION
Establish research chairs in nuclear energy and modularization within the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of Regina.
EXPECTED RESULTS
Highly qualified personnel trained as graduate students under the supervision of the research chairs will help ensure the future nuclear workforce has the skills, abilities, and resources needed for industry to meet the demands of a new emerging SMR subsector in Canada.
CAPACITY, ENGAGEMENT, AND PUBLIC CONFIDENCE
Increase research capacity through infrastructure
STATUS: IN PROGRESS
URG02
Responds to SMR Roadmap recommendation(s): 48
ACTION
Pursue funding for and develop a test loop for researching components and conditions required to operate in an SMR environment and assist in the licensing, development and operation of these power plants.
EXPECTED RESULTS
Researchers will have the infrastructure required to conduct their early-stage research and development programs and graduate students will gain the hands-on skills and abilities needed by industry.
CAPACITY, ENGAGEMENT, AND PUBLIC CONFIDENCE
Training programs and education curriculum
STATUS: UPCOMING
URG03
Responds to SMR Roadmap recommendation(s): 48
ACTION
Establish academic programming in nuclear reactor technology within the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of Regina.
EXPECTED RESULTS
The future nuclear workforce has the skills, abilities, and resources needed for industry to meet the demands of a new emerging SMR subsector in Canada.
CAPACITY, ENGAGEMENT, AND PUBLIC CONFIDENCE
Diversity of next-generation nuclear talent
STATUS: IN PROGRESS
URG04
Responds to SMR Roadmap recommendation(s): 49
ACTION
Encourage diversity (specifically women, minorities and Indigenous students) through targeted scholarships.
EXPECTED RESULTS
Enrollment by women, minorities and Indigenous persons in programs in nuclear energy is increased.
CAPACITY, ENGAGEMENT, AND PUBLIC CONFIDENCE
Dissemination of nuclear energy information to non-nuclear audiences
STATUS: IN PROGRESS
URG05
Responds to SMR Roadmap recommendation(s): 50
ACTION
Increase dissemination to lay audiences through knowledge mobilization from current work on siting nuclear reactors and the future work of research chairs.
EXPECTED RESULTS
The public has a better understanding of nuclear science and technology.