Queen’s Univ breaks into top 10 as growth rate slows for university research funding

Queen’s Univ has muscled its way into the top 10 ranking of Canada’s research-performing universities, posting a 48.7% annual increase in sponsored research income (SRI) in 2002 for a total of $150.7 million. Queen’s performance is all the more remarkable in a year that saw a considerable slowing of SRI growth. Overall, Canada’s top 50 research universities achieved 12.1% growth compared to increases of 22.7% in 2001 and 24.0% in 2000.

The findings are included in preliminary data from Research Infosource Inc, publishers of the annual Canada’s Top Research Universities Report and an affiliate company to RE$EARCH MONEY. Research Infosource tracks SRI in 23 different categories and its findings on all 68 research universities will be included in a report slated for release later this year.

Queen’s performed well in the vast majority of SRI categories, with impressive gains from the Canada Research Chairs (+215%), the Ontario government (+128.5%), Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) (+124.5%), and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). In fact, SRI from all government sources was up nearly 60% while SRI from endowments and other investments increased 14.7%. Total corporate SRI was up 43.1%.

TOP 50 UNIVERSITIES RAKE IN $3.8 BILLION

The top 50 research universities attracted $3.8 billion in SRI, up from $3.4 billion in 2001. The top university continues to be the Univ of Toronto, which maintains a hammerlock on the #1 position with $456.3 million in SRI for 12% of the total. But U of T’s SRI is down 2.9% from 2001 when it secured $470.1 million.

In contrast to Queen’s, U of T dropped in the majority of categories, with total government sources declining 3.5%. CIHR and the Chairs program were among a handful of categories showing positive growth for U of T, while SRI was down from the CFI (-78%) and total corporate support (-11.5%). The largest decline was registered in the endowments and other investments which plummetted 97.5%, a reflection of stagnant financial markets and a lingering high-tech slump.

The decline in SRI at U of T allowed #2 ranked Univ of Montreal to make up considerable ground. With $383.4 million in SRI representing a 9.7% annual increase, it is now just $72.9 million behind the perennial frontrunner, compared to a gap of $120.5 in 2001 and $119.1 million in 2000.

U of T is one of four universities reporting declines in SRI. The others and their respective rankings are Ryerson Univ (#37), Univ College of Cape Breton (#46) and Télé-universite de Québec (Téluq) (#48).

GOVERNMENT GROWTH REMAINS STRONG

Governments of all stripes continue to increase their support for university research, led by the federal government which has made it a cornerstone of its innovation policy. SRI from all levels of government increased 19.2% in 2002, in sharp contrast to non-government sources which declined slightly by 0.6%.

Corporate support was also extremely soft (+0.3%) while SRI from individuals and foundations and other non-corporate sources increased 6.1%. SRI from investments and endowments was down 23.9%

Research Infosource is introducing a new ranking this year, designating research university of the year to institutions in three categories. Each institution has been scored according to financial input indicators (50 points) and research out indicators (50 points).

McGill Univ is ranked the top university in the medical doctoral category with a score of 94. The Univ of Guelph was first in the comprehensive category with a score of 83, and Trent Univ was the top undergraduate institution with a score of 60.

Provincially, Ontario placed 17 institutions in the top 50 with a total SRI of $1.5 billion for 39% of the total. Quebec followed with 13 institutions and $1.1 billion in SRI for a 29% share of the total. Alberta placed three institutions in the top 5, securing $474.1 million in SRI for a 12% share, while British Columbia took fourth spot with four universities attracting $304.6 million and a 8% share.

Provinces enjoying the largest increase in SRI are Saskatchewan (two universities up 22.4% for $140.3 million) and New Brunswick (two universities up 19% for $31.3 million).

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