Toronto - October 29, 2003 - The Atlantic provinces' nine universities reported $164.7 million in sponsored research income in fiscal 2002 according to 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.

The top ranked university in Atlantic Canada was Nova Scotia's Dalhousie University in 16th place with $75.2 million in sponsored research income. Memorial University of Newfoundland is 22nd with $34.9 million, University of New Brunswick is 25th with $26.1 million, St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia is 39th with $6.6 million, University of Moncton is 43rd with $5.2 million, University of Prince Edward Island is 44th with just under $5.2 million, University College of Cape Breton is 46th with $4.8 million, Nova Scotia Agricultural College is 47th with $3.6 million and Acadia University is 49th with $3.2 million.

Ranking Canada's top universities by research income growth, the smaller institutions take the lead. Acadia University takes top position with a 72.3% jump and Trent 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.

The largest provinces accounted for the lion's share of 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%), and Nova Scotia with 5 institutions had $93.3 million (2%). 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 was 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, up from $3.4 billion in 2001.

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%).

"Of the nine Atlantic institutions, the University of New Brunswick, St. Francis Xavier University, the University of Moncton, Nova Scotia Agricultural College and Acadia University reported research income growth above the national average", says Ron Freedman, CEO of Research Infosource Inc. "Dalhousie, Memorial and the University of Prince Edward Island posted research income growth below the national average, and one, the University College of Cape Breton, reported a decline." Mr. Freedman pointed out that yearly growth rates can be volatile and long-term trends are more important.

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