Attention Assignment Editors and Education Reporters

Toronto - November 4, 2003 - McGill University, University of Guelph and Trent University were named Research Universities of the Year in their respective categories by Research Infosource Inc., publishers of Canada's Top 50 Research Universities List. By demonstrating an ability to attract and capitalize on research dollars, these three institutions received the very first Research University of the Year designations.

It was a close race in the medical/doctoral category. McGill University came first, scoring 94 out of a possible 100 points. McMaster University was second with 93, and the University of Alberta came third with 91.7 points.

In the comprehensive category, the University of Guelph was number one with a score of 83.7. The University of Waterloo was second with 76.3 points, and the University of Victoria came third with 59 points.

Scoring 60 points, Trent University was tops in the undergraduate category. St. Francis Xavier University is in second place with 44. Royal Military College and the University of Prince Edward Island tied for third place with 43 points.

Universities were awarded points out of a possible 100 on a balanced set of input and output measures. Half the points were awarded based on financial indicators: total sponsored research income, research income per full-time faculty position, and research income per full-time graduate student. The other half was based on the number of publications per full-time faculty in 5,000 of the world's leading natural, life/health and social sciences journals.

"Research income alone is a rudimentary measure of a university's research performance", says Ron Freedman, CEO of Research Infosource Inc. "Larger universities with more faculty obviously attract more research dollars. Our Research University of the Year scorecard gives a more balanced picture. Universities get points for attracting financial support and points for the research results these funds generate."

The Research Universities of the Year 2003 Scorecard and methodology are 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), Canadian Science and Innovation Indicators Consortium, Institute for Scientific Information, 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. 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 OR (416) 802-5526