Universities partner with resource companies to launch new mining institute

By Debbie Lawes

Resource companies are expected to be major players in a new international mining institute slated to begin operations by May/13. The Univ of British Columbia and Simon Fraser Univ beat out four other applicants to lead the new Canadian International Institute for Extractive Industries and Development (CIIEID), which will receive $25 million over five years from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).

Announced November 23 by International Co-operation minister Julian Fantino, this global centre of excellence will exploit Canada's expertise in extractive industries to provide resource-rich developing countries with the applied research, technical advice, training and education needed to generate sustainable economic growth and reduce poverty.

"This institute is aimed at poverty alleviation, but it will also help Canadian companies working in developing countries because it will enable countries to develop policies and regulations that will create a strong foundation for foreign investment," says Dr Bern Klein, head of UBC's Institute of Mining Engineering.

CIIEID will work with more than 60 partners, including École Polytechnique, McGill Univ, Univ of Toronto, Carleton Univ and other academic institutions, mining institutes in Australia and South Africa, private sector companies, governments and other stakeholders.

"The role of the private sector in the new institute is not clearly defined at this point," says Klein, adding that companies will be expected to contribute money, not only in-kind contributions. "We can't say yet that it's going to be on a 1:1 basis, but there is an expectation that they will participate in some of the broader programs in countries, as opposed to a specific mining project."

CIIEID not only aligns with the priority placed on natural resources in Canada's S&T strategy, it also reflects a shift in government policy to link international aid and related research to Canada's economic and prosperity agenda. This new strategy sees organizations like CIDA partnering more with industry to stimulate economic growth in developing countries while also improving opportunities for trade and investment with Canadian companies. Details were released last month by the House committee responsible for international development in its report, Driving Inclusive Economic Growth; the Role of the Private Sector in International Development.

"This institute will help developing countries reap the benefits of their natural resources, and also benefit Canadian companies in fair, transparent, and foreseeable regulation in the extractive sector," Fantino said in announcing the new institute.

For CIIEID, this means assembling multidisciplinary teams of academics, re-searchers and other experts to offer best practice knowledge that will help developing countries meet their needs for policy, legislation, regulatory development and implementation, training, technical assistance and applied research related to their extractive industry sectors.

CIIEID will be guided by an advisory board comprised of people from government, industry and academia, with its board of directors primarily made up of experts from SFU, UBC and École Polytechnique. Directors will also be hired to lead the institute's four centres (see box).

Its initial tasks will be to develop a strategic analysis of the sector, deliver educational courses in Canada and overseas and host two conferences. Initial activities will focus on countries in Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.

Klein says the Canadian government has made no funding commitments beyond five years. "Our intermediate-term goal is to ensure that the institute is sustainable for at least 10 years. We expect that private companies will be able to help sustain the institute through continued support."

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