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For Immediate Release


10 B.C. Companies Make Canada's Top 100 Corporate R&D Spenders List


Toronto - June 26, 2001 - Canada's Top 100 Corporate R&D Spenders List, released today by Research Infosource Inc. (www.researchinfosource.com) includes 10 B.C. companies:

  • PMC Sierra, Inc.# 6 moves up from 16th in 1999 with a $133 million increase in R&D spending in 2000.
  • Creo Products Inc. #16 up from 25th spot with a $50.5 million jump in R&D spending from 1999 to 2000.
  • Ballard Power Systems Inc. #18, increased R&D spending by 39.5% and moved up one place from 19th.
  • QLT Inc. #30, drops 7 places from #23 in 1999 while posting a modest 2.3% increase in R&D spending.
  • Cominco Ltd. #60, moves up 1 spot from 61 by boosting R&D investment by $4 million
  • Stressgen Biotechnologies #65, increased R&D spending by 67.6% and moved up 10 places from 75th in 1999.
  • Sierra Wireless Inc. #77, moves into the Top 100 from 120th place in 1999 by increasing R&D investment from $6 million in 1999 to $16.9 million in 2000.
  • Inex Pharmaceuticals Corporation #79, up from 86th in 1999 with a 30.1% jump in R&D spending.
  • MDSI Mobile Data Solutions Inc. #84, moves up 9 spots from 93 with a $3.1 increase in spending.
  • Spectrum Signal Processing Inc. #97, cracks the Top 100, moving up 35 places from 133 in 1999 with a 97.1% jump in R&D spending.
Of the B.C. companies on the Top 100 Corporate R&D Spenders List, PMC Sierra is the only one to make Research Infosource's elite "$100 Million Club", reserved for companies that spend $100 million or more annually on R&D. Three B.C. companies, PMC Sierra, Sierra Wireless, and Creo Products, are among the Top 10 companies ranked by R&D growth. All increased their R&D spending by over 50% from 1999 to 2000.

Three B.C. companies, Stressgen Biotechnologies, Ballard Power Systems, and QLT Inc. are among the Top 10 Research Intensive Companies, each investing over 100% of revenues into R&D in 2000.

The total R&D spending by Canada's Top 100 rose dramatically from $8.7 billion in 1999 to $11.1 billion in 2000, a jump of 28.5%. Leading the charge was Nortel Networks with an investment of more than $5.9 billion in 2000. Pratt and Whitney ($331 million) came second, followed by Magna International ($246.5 million), then Ericsson Canada ($237.8 million), with ATI Technologies ($224.3 million) rounding out the Top 5 for Fiscal 2000.

"Our aim is to take the pulse of Canada's research community so that decision makers can track trends and measure the results of their decisions and investments," says Ron Freedman, CEO of Research Infosource Inc. "BC's newly elected government campaigned on a platform that included investing in the Knowledge Economy. Our data can help them identify where the strengths and weaknesses are in BC's corporate sector."

The complete list, available on the Research Infosource website (www.researchinfosource.com) free of charge, is drawn from Research Infosource's Canadian Corporate R&D Database of more than 300 of the top companies doing R&D in Canada. An in-depth report on Canadian R&D trends, Canada's Top Corporate R&D Spenders Report 2001, will be published in July.

Research Infosource Inc. is a division of The Impact Group, one of Canada's leading consulting firms specializing in strategic planning, policy analysis & development, research & evaluation, communications & marketing, and training & education, for organizations concerned with science, technology, and innovation. The Impact Group provides a range of research and consulting services to companies, government agencies, higher education, and non-profit institutions.

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Information: Ron Freedman, CEO, Research Infosource Inc. (416) 481-7070 ext. 31
Janet Sandor, Director of Communications (416) 481-7070 ext. 25