Alberta Schools Named Top Canadian Research Colleges

Research Infosource Inc.’s rankings of the country’s top research colleges put’s Calgary’s at the very top of the list.

Two Alberta schools – Calgary’s Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) and Edmonton’s Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) – have been named Canada’s top two research colleges.

In 2012, Canada’s 50 leading research schools had a combined research income of $117.3 million. According to Research Infosource Inc.’s rankings, released on Wednesday, SAIT leads the way with $9.8 million in research funding. NAIT follows second with $6.3 million.

“This is our inaugural college ranking and it is a pleasure to see SAIT leading the charge on college research,” says Ron Freedman, CEO of Research Infosource Inc. “SAIT’s performance at the top of our ranking is a testament to the value it is providing to Alberta and the country. These are early days for college research and we’re pleased to help highlight the good work that SAIT and its counterparts across the country are doing.”

In the past five years, SAIT has carried out almost 200 industry-driven, applied-research projects which have resulted in the development of over 250 prototypes. Many SAIT students collaborate directly with industry, giving them the opportunity to apply what they’ve learned in the classroom into real applications. The market-driven applied research at SAIT has resulted in projects in environmental technologies, green building technologies, alternative energy, sustainable culinary operations, and sports and wellness technologies.

“This is a significant recognition for SAIT Polytechnic and an important milestone for applied research in Canada,” said Dr. David Ross, President and CEO of SAIT Polytechnic. “Collaboration is the cornerstone of our model. SAIT students and instructors work alongside industry partners, supported by investments from both the federal and provincial government, to turn ideas into real-world, practical solutions.”

The top five research schools are rounded out by Newfoundland’s College of the North Atlantic  at $6.0 million in research funding, Yukon College $5.4 million and the British Columbia Institute of Technology with $5.2 million.

“Canada’s colleges are important and growing research performers in the country’s national system of innovation”, said Freedman.  “Colleges are clearly on the move, as evidenced by their strong year-on-year growth.”

Research Infosource Inc. is Canada’s source of research and development research. The full rankings can be found on the company’s website.