David Novog, a McMaster nuclear engineering professor, says a grant from the Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation is a "big break" in his research.

Novog said the $106,313 grant from Ontario is matched by a $106,000 federal innovation grant, giving him the funds to purchase a critical piece of equipment.

Novog needs the equipment to determine a nuclear plant's response to hypothetical accidental scenarios by examining the behaviour of nuclear fuels.

"This allows younger researchers to kick off their careers with a really great piece of equipment," said Novog of the grant.

The Ontario Minister for Research and Innovation John Wilkinson made the announcement Thursday.

It followed similar announcements for two other engineering researchers last week.

Natalia Nikolova received provincial funding worth $111,391 for her research into advancing microwave imaging. This technology can provide valuable information for a variety of applications including early-stage breast cancer detection, or pipeline and structural inspections.

Alexandru Patricui received $69,317 for developing robotic tools for difficult surgical procedures.

It's all part of a series of announcements the government has made in order to stimulate health sciences, green technologies, digital media and information.

Novog said not only will the grant help with research, it will also be a boon to the entire research community.

"With the nuclear industry booming these days, it's really nice to have a carrot like this to dangle in front of them to keep them in research."

lmarr@thespec.com

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