Grant: Collaborative Research and Training Experience

Diamonds have provided the vast majority of the economic development of the Canada'sNorth since the early 1990s. With production currently focused on the NWT, Canada is the world's 3rdlargest diamond producer. Since mining began in 1998, the diamond industry has invested $13 billion inthe NWT economy including > $4 billion with Aboriginal companies and > $100 million in furthersocial investments. Two of the three NWT mines are in the final phase of production and if no newdeposits are found Canada's role in diamond production will diminish, with dramatic consequences forthe economy of the North. The discovery of new deposits will be technologically challenging, requiringa new generation of geoscientists who have a multi-disciplinary background and critically, an excellentgrounding in field geosciences, operational logistics and the socio-economic factors involved in workingin Canada's Arctic regions. This training program will produce geoscientists who can become the nextleaders in the diamond exploration and mining industry, well equipped to take on this challenge. It willproduce personnel with greater industry-ready backgrounds, who are also academically qualified todirect and apply the latest research methods to inform kimberlite-based diamond exploration programs.