Acadia ranks among Canada's top research universities

Acadia has been ranked in the Top 50 Research Universities in Canada, one of only five primarily undergraduate universities in the Atlantic provinces on the list released by Research Infosource Inc. on December 8, 2020.

Acadia University saw its total research income grow by 15.1% to $7.3 million in 2019, surpassing the national increase by nearly ten percentage points. Nationally, Acadia moved up a spot to 49th in Canada while ranking fourth in the primarily undergraduate category for its corporate income, which rose nearly 18% year over year.

Research Infosource Inc. is one of the country's leading research and consulting firms. The announcement is part of its annual ranking, Top 50 Research Universities, which examines data from universities, corporations, hospitals and colleges.

"While Acadia is known nationally for its well-rounded liberal education, this ranking demonstrates an ongoing commitment to research and partnerships with industry," says Dr. Dale Keefe, Provost and Vice-President, Academic. "Our investment in specialized research infrastructure, laboratories, and field stations not only prepares students for further study and meaningful careers but also helps spur economic development."

Located in the Annapolis Valley's fertile agricultural region along the Bay of Fundy coastline, Acadia contributes to internationally recognized research that supports local businesses and entrepreneurs. The University supports projects across the region in various sectors such as agri-tech, agri-food, and data analytics and serves as an important point of contact for economic development agencies like the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), Innovacorp, Nova Scotia Business Inc. and the National Research Council of Canada – Industrial Research Assistance Program.

Acadia's Office of Industry & Community Engagement (ICE) connects researchers with industry partners, and Acadia is a member of Springboard Atlantic, a network of 14 Atlantic Canadian universities and five community colleges.

"Acadia's ability to be included in the top ranks of research institutions in Canada is a testament to the dedication and ingenuity of our faculty researchers and the hard work of staff in Research and Graduate Studies and the Office of Industry and Community Engagement," said Dr. Anna Redden, Dean of Research and Graduate Studies. "Ultimately, our students, faculty, and research partners deserve our applause for attracting research investment to Acadia and for their contributions to society."

Nationally, Canada's Top 50 Research Universities posted a combined research income of $8.0 billion in Fiscal 2019, a gain of 5.7% over Fiscal 2018. Research income expanded at 37 universities and declined at 13 others. Average research intensity - research income per faculty position - was $198,700, a solid increase of 5.0%. Graduate student intensity - research income per graduate student - was $39,300 in Fiscal 2019. Combined corporate research income grew by 4.0%, and not-for-profit research income grew by 1.5%.

The Atlantic universities in the top 50 had a combined research income of $408.9 million in Fiscal 2019, with a growth of 19.7%, far surpassing the national increase of 5.7%. Seven of the eight institutions, including Acadia, expanded their research income in Fiscal 2019.

"Fiscal 2019 was an outstanding year for Atlantic universities", said Ron Freedman, CEO of Research Infosource. The region's universities made gains across-the-board, with several of them improving their national rankings. What is impressive is that improvements were wide-spread and not limited to a few universities."

 

Learn more

Research at Acadia
Office of Industry & Community Engagement

Research Infosource Inc. news release

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