Toronto - October 29, 2003 - Three Québec Universities are among the top 10 on Canada's Top 50 Research Universities List 2003. Published by Research Infosource Inc., the list ranks Canada's leading universities by sponsored research income from both government and non-government sources. Reporting $383.4 million in sponsored research income for fiscal 2002, Université de Montréal ranks 2nd overall. McGill University is in third place with $316.6 million and Université Laval is in 6th position with $215.9 million.

Ranking universities by research intensity (research income per full-time faculty), Québec universities shine. McGill University leads the pack with $233,000 per full-time faculty, Université de Montréal is 2nd with $219,700, and Université Laval is 9th with $154,500. In fiscal 2001, Université de Montréal topped the list.

The smaller institutions take the lead when looking at research income growth. One Québec university, Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), is among the top 10 institutions ranked by research income growth. Acadia University takes top position with a 72.3% jump andTrent University is 2nd with a 69.3% increase. Posting a 68% growth, Brock University is 3rd and Lakehead University is 4th with a 67.6% increase. The University of Lethbridge rounds out the top 5, reporting a 65.2% growth in sponsored research income. York University (51.5%) is 6th, Queen's University (48.7%) is 7th, University of Regina (46.1%) is 8th, Université du Québec à Montréal (37.9%) is 9th and Simon Fraser University (34.9%) completes the top 10.

Looking at the regional picture, the larger provinces attracted the lion's share of sponsored research income. Ontario's 17 institutions accounted for 39% for a total of $1.5 billion. Québec with 13 institutions reported $1.1 billion for 29% of the total, and Alberta's 3 universities brought in $474.1 million, representing 12%. British Columbia with 4 universities recorded $304.6 million (8%), Saskatchewan's 2 universities posted $140.3 million (4%), Manitoba, also with 2 universities, reported $104.8 million (3%), Nova Scotia with 5 institutions had $93.3 million (2%), and New Brunswick ($31.3 million) with two universities and Newfoundland ($34.9 million) with one accounted for 1% each. Prince Edward Island, with one university, posted $5.2 million, which accounted for less than 0.5% of the total. Together, Canada's top 50 research universities posted $3.8 billion in sponsored research income for fiscal 2002.

Overall, Canada's top 50 research universities increased their sponsored research income by 12.1% in fiscal 2002 with five provinces posting above average growth rates. Saskatchewan led the rankings with a 22.4% increase. New Brunswick is 2nd with 19%, British Columbia is 3rd posting a 15% increase, Québec is 4th with a 14.3% increase and Alberta is 5th with a 13.4% growth. The remaining five provinces reported research income growth below the national figure of 12.1%: Ontario (9.9%), Nova Scotia (8.5%), Newfoundland(1.9%), Manitoba (0.9%) and Prince Edward Island (0.3%).

"The Québec government's new policy direction and increased investment in its institutions of higher learning is bearing fruit", says Ron Freedman, CEO of Research Infosource. "Increases in federal grants and Québec's 4 medical schools have helped the province's universities post above-average growth rates."

The complete Canada's Top 50 Research Universities List 2003 is available on the Research Infosource website, www.researchinfosource.com. The data are drawn from Statistics Canada, Conférence des recteurs et des principaux des universités du Québec (CREPUQ) and Research Infosource's own Canadian University R&D Database.

An in-depth Report profiling 68 institutions is slated for publication in November 2003. Research Infosource Inc., a division of The Impact Group, is Canada's source of R&D intelligence. Drawing from an extensive database, Research Infosource Inc. publishes Canada's Top 100 Corporate R&D Spenders List and Report, Canada's Top 50 Research Universities List and Report, and other specialized reports.

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