The International Minerals Innovation Institute has a new funding agreement with two universities.

The institute is working with the University of Regina and the University of Saskatchewan for the development of the Mining Materials Research Cluster.

The cluster will examine the corrosion of materials used in the fabrication of mineral processing and mining equipment used in the potash industry.

The total budget is $2.6 million, jointly funded by industry and government.

The institute develops training programs to address workplace health and safety, environmental sustainability and continued growth of the industry.