Memorial continues to be a national research leader, according to new numbers released Jan. 18.

Research Infosource has announced its latest rankings of the top research-intensive universities in the country.

For the twelfth year in a row, Memorial maintains its position as one of Canada’s top 20 research universities.

It currently ranks No. 18, with $176,069,000 in university-sponsored research income reported for fiscal year 2020–21.

That is an increase of 8.1 per cent from fiscal year 2019–20, when Research Infosource says Memorial’s sponsored research income was $162,922,000 and the university ranked No. 19 in the country.

‘We are proud’

“These numbers certainly tell a compelling story of Memorial’s steady growth as a leading research-intensive university and we are proud of this national recognition,” said Dr. Tana Allen, acting vice-president (research).

“Through innovative partnerships with key stakeholders, including industry partners, governments and our wider community, Memorial’s teams are creating new knowledge, investigating important issues facing our world and training future innovators in all disciplines across our campuses.”

When it comes to funding that Memorial researchers receive from industry and the private sector to support their research programs, Memorial did well this year.

According to Research Infosource, Memorial ranks No. 1 among all Canadian universities with medical schools when it comes to corporate research income as a percentage of its total research income.

Five-year spotlight

This year, Research Infosource included a five-year university spotlight focused on granting council research income performance from fiscal year 2016–17 to fiscal year 2020–21.

It included research income from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI).

Among Canadian universities with medical schools, Research Infosource says Memorial was awarded the following.

• $23,803,000 in SSHRC research income (No. 15)
• $48,415,000 in NSERC research income (No. 16)
• $26,874,000 in CIHR research income (No. 16)
• $13,720,000 in CFI research income (No. 16)

“Memorial University continues to demonstrate a high level of success in research. Especially notable is its ability to partner with the corporate sector on research,” said Ron Freedman, CEO, Research Infosource Inc.

“Memorial continues to punch above its weight in other areas of research funding as well.”

With more than 300 program options, Memorial is one of Atlantic Canada’s largest universities, offering degree programs at the undergraduate, master’s and doctoral levels.