The Saskatchewan Cancer Control Research Program directed by Dr. Anne Leis, Dr. Louis Schulman Cancer Research Professor, College of Medicine, was externally funded by the National Cancer Institute of Canada for 8 years until June 2005.

Since 2002, a steering committee made of Saskatchewan key partners (both universities, Saskatchewan Health, the Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation (SHERF), the Canadian Cancer Society, Saskatchewan Division,  the Saskatchewan Cancer agency (SCA) and Dr. Svein Carlsen (vice-president research at the SCA) was established to foster the development and expansion of cancer research in the province and oversee the distribution of NCIC funds to researchers whose research proposals were worthy of funding (>3.5) but below the cut-off (similar to the CIHR RPP committee).

Today we have established a successful Cancer Research Network in Saskatchewan and we organize each year the annual Cancer research day, held in Saskatoon usually in December. The link to cancer survivors’ organizations is quite strong and they are involved in informing research questions and dissemination. Presently, we are in the process of creating a Saskatchewan vision for cancer control research and thinking through some of the structures that would enhance cancer research and its funding in the province.