MetSoc Innovation Award
The purpose of the Innovation award is to support the important role of innovation as a fundamental foundation for the development and growth of the Canadian metallurgical and materials industries. The award, sponsored by Hatch, recognizes outstanding innovation in the industry, specifically innovations that are implemented and practiced commercially and to which a company or group of individuals are the prime contributors.
THE CALL FOR NOMINATIONS FOR 2026 IS OPEN. The deadline is February 10, 2026.
This award is supported by:
2026 Recipient
Dundee Sustainable Technologies Inc.
In recognition of its innovative and environmentally responsible technology stabilizing arsenic for the mining industry.
DUNDEE Sustainable Technologies Inc. (DST) is a Canadian company offering proprietary metallurgical processes for the mining industry and providing expertise, tailored, innovative and proven solutions to minimize environmental impact and increase operational simplicity, viability and efficiency. Our vision is to develop and commercialize environmentally friendly technologies and set new standards for the mining industry worldwide.
Through the application of its processes, DST extracts precious and base metals from mineralized material, concentrates and tailings, while stabilizing contaminants such as arsenic, which could not otherwise be extracted or stabilized with conventional processes due to metallurgical issues or environmental considerations.
DST therefore offers a clean, efficient and cost-effective alternative for gold extraction – the CLEVR Process™. While its GlassLock Process™ is an innovative, cost-effective and environmentally friendly process for the removal and stabilization of arsenic often associated with precious and base metal deposits.
Since the foundation of the company in 1997, there has been an evolution from laboratory experiments to demonstration on the industrial scale. DST is currently working on projects for the commercialization of its technologies in Canada, South America and Africa, among others.
| 2023 – BQE Water | 2022 – Jetti Resources | 2021 – Fonderie Horne- Noranda Continuous Converter |
| 2019 – Hot Cure Process (Barrick technology) | 2018 – Acousto Ultrasonic-Echo (AU-E) non-destructive testing (NDT) technique developed in Canada by Dr. Sadri and the Hatch NDT team | 2017 – Advanced KIVCET™ Technology with Continuous Drossing and Slag Fuming, developed by Teck |
| 2016 – Calcium Thiosulphate Leaching of Gold Process (Barrick Gold) | 2015 – SART Process (developed by Lakefield Research Ltd) | 2014 – No Winner |
| 2013 – Liquid Metal Cleanliness Analyzer system (MMPC, Rio Tinto Alcan and ABB) | 2012 – Hatch Autoclave Technology Group | 2011 – No award |
| 2010 – No award | 2009 – Shrouded Tuyere Slag-Make Converting Process (Air Liquide and Xstrata Nickel) | 2008 – No Award |
| 2007 – McGill Gas Dispersion Sensor Technology | 2006 – Inco Ltd. (SO2/Air Cyanide Destruction Process) | 2005 – Eco-Tec (Acid Purification Unit) |
| 2004 – Dynatec | 2003 – CEZinc (Jarofix Process) | 2002 – QIT-Fer et Titane |
| 2001 – No Award | 2000 – Kidd Metallurgy Division of Falconbridge Ltd. (Kidd Process Technology) | 1999 – Facility for the Analysis of Chemical Thermodynamics (The F*A*C*T Computational System) |
| 1998 – Noranda Inc. (The Gaspe Puncher) | 1997 – Inco Limited (The Oxygen Flash Smelting Process) | 1996 – No award |
| 1995 – Timminco Metals and L.M. Pidgeon (The Pidgeon Magnesium Process) | 1994 – Hatch Associates Limited (Solid Copper Cooling Systems for Furnace Refractory Protection) | 1993 – Noranda Minerals Inc. (Noranda Process) |
| 1992 – Sherritt Gordon Limited (Zinc Pressure Leach Process) | 1991 – G. Savard and R. Lee (Annular Tuyere) | 1990 – Inco Limited (Pressure Carbonyl Process) |
| 1989 – Stelco Inc. (Stelco Coilbox) |
Criteria
The innovation to be rewarded should have been successfully adapted in a commercial scale operation. Recognizing the long lead-time to industrial acceptance of an innovation, a 15-year maximum duration from first demonstration should be used as a guideline. The contributions and impact must be to the benefit of Canada.
- Fill in the contribution box – a summary of why this person is being nominated (see item 3) with any information that is not included in the CV.
- Fill in the citation – in 15 words, what this person is being recognized for.
- Upload either a concise CV of the nominee or in the case of a process, a recent paper, relevant to the process being nominated. Nominators should consider approaching nominees themselves to request the CV. In the case of a process, the recent paper is likely already available. The CV should contain the following information:
- Major contributions relevant to the award
- A record of at least five relevant patents and papers authored by the nominee plus a count of other patents and papers.
- One letter of support from either the users of the technology or an expert of the field
General Policies
- A nominator can put forward only one candidate up for nomination in each award category (as of 2020).
- No Member of the Executive Board shall be nominated while in office. The nomination will be held until the term on the executive board is expired.
- Each award shall be made from time to time as circumstances warrant with no more than one award recipient per year.
- The nominators are responsible for verifying that all conditions of the award have been satisfied and all procedures were properly followed in making the nomination.
- All nominations will stand for three years.
- The adjudication of the award shall be made by the MetSoc Awards Committee of The Metallurgy and Materials Society of CIM.
- The award shall be presented at the Awards Banquet of the Conference of Metallurgists.
- Posthumous awards will be allowed only if the candidate has already been shortlisted.
- Self nominations are permitted for the innovation award (you are permitted to submit an innovation of your company).
The award nomination program is closed for 2026.