Thanks very much, Mr. Chair, and for all the interest from across the committee.
The looming closure of Chalk River simply reinforces the significance of materials research as it's needed in Canada for our scientists, for our students, for industry, and we've offered a broad range of what that looks like.
Practically speaking, what we've tried to do is say the investment today, $100 million per annum, if we were to take roughly a fifth of that we could make enhanced investments at McMaster, also an aging facility, but one capable of meeting some of Canada's needs. Then, quite frankly, work diligently to develop some formalized and sustainable partnerships.
I'll offer an example. It's not simply that Chalk River is closing next year. There is a partnership with Oak Ridge, Tennessee, which at the exact same time is coming to an end. That relationship needs some immediate attention so we can begin to have conversations. That's quite open. It's a well-established relationship and collaborative set of arrangements. We're also looking at Europe. Honestly, we're taking a technical team over to Europe to have a look. Could we do some of that on a sustainable basis?
The key here is that we need to make sure there's access not simply for our scientists but also for our industry partners. These protocols take time, so the clearer, earlier signal we could have to move forward on these partnership connections as well as enhancing the infrastructure at McMaster, would send a very reassuring signal to our scientific community.
I was recently in Chalk River and had an opportunity to speak with some of the scientists, and there is a great uncertainty.