Memorial is the national leader among Canada’s medical universities when it comes to corporate research income growth over a five-year period.

That’s according to new data released on Oct. 25.

Research Infosource Inc. states that from fiscal years 2013-17, Memorial ranked No. 1 in growth, with an increase of 160.2 per cent. According to the publication, corporate research income is measured by grants and contracts received from corporate sources.

The information is contained in the publication’s annual roundup of Canada’s leading universities, companies, hospitals and colleges.

Research Infosource also notes that Memorial ranks No. 1 in the country for corporate research income as a percentage of its total research income in the medical category over that same five-year period, with an increase of 31.4 per cent.

Innovation leader

“Memorial is committed to intensifying our research activities across our campuses and in all disciplines,” said Dr. Neil Bose, vice-president (research).

“Through increasingly competitive processes, our teams of multidisciplinary researchers continue to obtain funding from government sources and industry partners which allows them to conduct important research in strategic areas for Newfoundland and Labrador, our country and the world.”

Top 20

In its Canada’s Top 50 Research Universities list, Research Infosource ranks Memorial No. 20 with $111,778,000 in sponsored research income reported for fiscal year 2017, an increase of 22.6 per cent compared to fiscal year 2016. In that year, sponsored research income was reported as $91,178,000 and Memorial ranked No. 20.

The increase puts Memorial back into the publication’s $100 million club.

Research Infosource also states that in the medical universities category, Memorial ranks No. 2 in the country for growth.

The new data reinforces Memorial’s global reputation as a leading post-secondary institution, according to Dr. Bose.

“This latest news enhances Memorial’s profile and allows our university to recruit outstanding graduate students and some of the best new faculty around the world who want to live and work here in Newfoundland and Labrador,” he said.

‘Very strong year’

According to Research Infosource, fiscal year 2017 was a strong year for Atlantic universities.

“Five universities – a mix of large and small – performed very well, with research income growth well in excess of the national average,” Ron Freedman, CEO of Research Infosource Inc., said in a release issued Oct. 25.

“This was a welcome reversal from a combined research income decline among Atlantic universities in fiscal 2016.”

The publication states that nationally, combined research income of Canada’s Top 50 research universities jumped by 6.8 per cent to $7.33 billion in fiscal 2017 from $6.87 billion in fiscal 2016 — the strongest gain in a decade.

As one of the largest universities in Atlantic Canada, Memorial offers more than 100 degree programs, including those at the undergraduate, master’s and doctoral levels.