TRIUMF, Canada's national laboratory for particle and nuclear physics, announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with the Variable Energy Cyclotron Centre (VECC) from Kolkata, India to establish a technology, research and trade partnership in advanced materials, physics, and life sciences technologies.

This agreement formalizes a collaborative research and development partnership between these India and British Columbia (B.C.) based laboratories to share resources and technical expertise in superconducting radio-frequency accelerator technology. Canada has recently changed its policy on nuclear science and technology with India to enhance this type of collaboration. Featuring an initial $2.25 million investment by TRIUMF and VECC, this collaboration will generate new business in B.C. and spur developments in cancer diagnosis, the study of materials and nuclei, and medical-isotope research. The agreement will also include the exchange of scientists from India and Canada to share knowledge and experience in building accelerators.

Through this partnership, the Canadian company would design and build a revolutionary new generation of accelerator that would impact physics, material science and nuclear medicine. This partnership puts B.C. at the forefront of physics research and discovery, noted Nigel Lockyer, TRIUMF Director. TRIUMF's ongoing success in research, development, and commercialization is based on its reputation for investing in people and fostering international exchange of innovative ideas through collaborations like the one undertaken.

Bikash Sinha, Director of the India-based VECC laboratory looks forward to the partnership with a Canadian-based laboratory. The agreement represented the partnership of two of the world's leading laboratories for advanced accelerator technology. By working together, we expect to increase the economic, social, and environmental benefits that can be realized through research, said Sinha.

The agreement builds on the spring 2008 success of a team of scientists and engineers from TRIUMF and Richmond, B.C.-based PAVAC Industries, Inc., in fabricating the first superconducting cavity. It was the combination of this technology demonstration and TRIUMF's reputation that drew VECC into the partnership. The TRIUMF team would be leveraging its resources with those from VECC with this agreement, thereby keeping Canada at the forefront of this rapidly growing area of science, technology, and innovation.

Donald Brooks, Associate Vice-President Research for the University of British Columbia congratulated TRIUMF and VECC and said that this new partnership would facilitate the increased exchange of knowledge and expertise between India and British Columbia-further strengthening Canadian ties with the Asia Pacific region. Collaborations of technology, education, and innovation like this were vital to Canadian economy and in achieving new scientific understanding, said Brooks.