Request for Project Proposals for the Non-reactor-based Isotope Supply Contribution Program
The Request for Project Proposals (RPP) process for the NISP closed on July 26th, 2010. The Program is no longer accepting project proposals.
The supply chain that delivers medical isotopes to patients in Canada and globally is fragile. Investment is needed now for work that will increase the security of isotope supply in the medium to long term. Based on the advice of the Expert Review Panel on Medical Isotope Production (the Panel), recent international developments and the broader nuclear and health care landscapes, the Government is taking action to promote alternative supply options.
Through Budget 2010, the Government committed $35 million over two years to invest in research, development and demonstration (RD&D) of non-reactor-based technologies for the production of technetium-99m (Tc-99m). This $35 million commitment is the basis for the NISP program being launched here, and is intended to lay the groundwork for a more secure and sustainable supply of medical isotopes in the future.
Eligible Technologies
The NISP will fund the continuum of activities from applied research up to and including demonstration activities in the following two priority areas:
- cyclotron-based production of Tc-99m; and
- linear accelerator-based production of Tc-99m via the transmutation of molybdenum-100 (Mo-100).
More specifically, funding will be targeted to activities related to high-priority areas necessary to address commercial-scale potential of the technologies including:
- target and converter design and optimization;
- cooling capacity;
- target processing and achievable yield;
- generator design and optimization;
- Mo-100 costs, availability and recycling;
- overall process optimization, including yield optimization; and,
- work to address regulatory requirements
Timeline
The Request for Project Proposals (RPP) process for the NISP is closed and the Program is no longer accepting project proposals.
The projects will be assessed against stated criteria and selected in September 2010. Applicants will be notified of NRCan’s decisions by October 2010. It is expected that negotiations for Contribution Agreements will begin in October 2010. However, all dates are subject to change.
Frequently Asked Questions
For a list of frequently asked questions (FAQs) and answers to general inquiries regarding the NISP, please go to the FAQs page.