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Neutrons Canada extends its congratulations to the national research team, led by McMaster University Professors Bruce Gaulin and Pat Clancy, for securing a major federal investment. This investment will enhance the nation’s capacity for materials research across key strategic sectors, including energy, defence, critical minerals, advanced manufacturing, health, and quantum innovation.
McMaster University has been awarded $13.5 million through the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) for the project, “Building a Future for Canadian Neutron Scattering, Part 2.” The funding supports a national collaboration involving 16 universities and builds on earlier CFI investments.
“This investment demonstrates the growing momentum behind restoring Canada’s neutron beam capabilities,” remarked John Root, Executive Director of Neutrons Canada. “The leadership by researchers at McMaster University and their partners nationwide are ensuring that Canadian scientists, engineers, and students have access to essential neutron-beam research tools, enabling them to tackle scientific, social, environmental, and economic challenges.”
This funding will bolster Canada’s neutron beam research ecosystem by forging vital international partnerships with European neutron facilities, further advancing the capabilities of the Canadian Neutron Beam Laboratory at McMaster University, and supporting the technical design study for a compact accelerator-based neutron source spearheaded by Professor Drew Marquardt at the University of Windsor.
This funding marks a significant step forward in rebuilding Canada’s neutron scattering capabilities, following the shutdown of the National Research Universal Reactor at Canadian Nuclear Laboratories in Chalk River in 2018. That closure left Canadian researchers without domestic access to neutron beams and forced them to depend heavily on crowded international facilities. Since then, Canadian researchers and institutions have worked together to rebuild a national program.
Root emphasized, “National coordination and collaboration are essential to building a neutron beam infrastructure that supports Canada’s sovereignty. By strategically investing in coordinated infrastructure, Canada will enable its researchers to drive innovation and research that supports key nation-building goals—ranging from advancing clean energy and securing critical minerals, to defending our sovereignty and safeguarding Canada’s people and interests.”
Neutrons Canada is eager to maintain and strengthen its collaboration with McMaster University and partners countrywide as the nation continues to rebuild and enhance its neutron beam infrastructure.
