The federal government has announced its next wave of funding to aid Canada's researchers in the fight against COVID-19, with over $23 million earmarked for vaccine research happening in Saskatchewan.

Monday Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that $275 million will be dispersed to researchers across the country, with $23.3 million coming to the University of Saskatchewan’s Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization - International Vaccine Centre (VIDO-InterVac).

VIDO-InterVac is the first lab in the country, and one of the very few in the world, to have a vaccine at the animal testing stage, and researchers expect to know in about four weeks if it works in an animal model.

Clinical testing of the vaccine in humans could start as early as this fall.

VIDO-InterVac will receive $11.3 million dedicated to its COVID-19 research and efforts to develop a vaccine as well as $12 million intended to increase the lab's vaccine manufacturing capability.

"This new federal funding recognizes that VIDO-InterVac is at the forefront of global efforts to develop a vaccine for COVID-19 and other infectious disease threats," Karen Chad, the university's vice-president of research, said in a statement.

The province also announced $400,000 in funding for the lab last week, in addition to another $200,000 previously pledged.