Mining research network would cost $50 million

The nation’s nine mining degree granting universities are planning to establish an elaborate, coast-to-coast research network which would cost about $50 million over four years.

They recently presented an 18- page proposal to the federal government’s Network of Centres of Excellence in Ottawa. The document details a plan which would harness the scientific ability of 128 researchers at a wide range of institutions in Canada engaged in mining research.

Projects include using computers to model solid geometric orebodies, the robotic control of mining equipment, underground data transmission, studies of the surface properties of minerals, expert systems in mineral processing, developing new sensors for metallurgical process control, solvent extraction processes and the treatment of hazardous wastes.

The proposal requests about $22 million over a 4-year period from the federal government to establish the network. Industry would contribute $19 million, according to the document.

Canada already has several pockets of expertise in mining-related research, but the proposed network would “materially improve both the cohesion an d co-ordination of research and development,” the document says.

Under the proposal, research would be supervised by a national program planning committee, consisting of three divisions — mining, processing and metallurgy. The mining technology division would receive about $16 million.

Each division will have principal investigators and organizers and four researchers from industry.

The entire network would be overseen by a board of directors, consisting of nine university representatives and six representatives from industry.

Being at the forefront of advanced technology is cited in the document as the “sole weapon” for the mining industry to maintain productivity and ensure continued world competitiveness.

The nine universities involved are: University of Alberta, University of British Columbia, Laurentian University, Laval University, McGill University, Technical University of Nova Scotia, Ecole Polytechnique, Queen’s University and University of Toronto.