Sask Research Council celebrating 70-years

This year, the Saskatchewan Research Council (SRC) is marking its 70th year in business.

In April 1947, the province established SRC with a mandate of undertaking projects that would help in the advancement of the province’s industrial development.  SRC began from humble beginnings as a granting agency with no permanent staff and a $20,000 budget reviewed by a board. Since then, SRC has grown to become one of Canada’s leading providers of applied research, development and demonstration, and technology commercialization with more than 350 employees, $70 million in annual revenue and 1,500 clients in 20 countries around the world.

Throughout its history, SRC’s goal has been to create positive value for the province. In the 1970’s, SRC was a leader in energy efficient housing research and its work formed the basis for the development of the R-2000 standard for energy efficient homes.  In the 1980s, SRC played a large role assisting the Saskatchewan energy industry by enabling the implementation of horizontal wells and the use of CO2 for enhanced oil recovery. Today, SRC’s Geoanalytical Laboratories operates the world’s largest and best geoassay laboratories for uranium, potash and diamonds. SRC’s environmental remediation work in northern Saskatchewan also leads industry with its community engagement and environmental practices. These are just a few examples of how SRC has pioneered initiatives that benefit Saskatchewan.

To commemorate this milestone, SRC has released a new book, Research and Development on the Prairies: A History of the Saskatchewan Research Council, which is available on Amazon.com.  Proceeds from the book’s sale go to support SRC’s Technology-In-Action Fund.