An agriculture student holds a plant sample
U of G bachelor of science student Weilun Lin checks a plant sample

The University of Guelph continues its upward rise as a research-intensive university, moving into 15th place among all universities nationally and retaining second place among Canadian comprehensive universities in an annual national survey of top research institutions.

U of G claimed second spot out of all comprehensive universities in the Research Infosource ranking of Canada’s Top 50 Research Universities. Comprehensive universities are those with a full range of graduate programs and professional schools but no medical school.

The University moved up a spot from last year, into the 15th position overall among all universities across the country.

U of G ranked first in the amount of research income it attracts from the private sector as a percentage of total research income, as well as second in the amount of research income overall, which rose 10 per cent from last year.

“The University of Guelph consistently ranks among the top research universities in Canada, in keeping with the commitment of our researchers to conduct cutting-edge research that really makes a difference both within disciplines and in the world at large,” said Malcolm Campbell, vice-president (research).

“Once again, we lead in research intensity and in research partnership, which together demonstrate the confidence that research sponsors and a wide array of partners have in the excellence of U of G researchers, the quality of the discoveries they make and the way their research prepares a real-world-ready talent pool.”

U of G discoveries not only expand the frontiers of understanding but also fuel innovation, drive economic development, connect communities, support society and realize our aim to improve life, said Campbell.

The rankings are based on several measures, including total sponsored research income, the number of publications in leading journals and research impact.

Among comprehensive universities, U of G ranked second in the overall value of its research income, worth more than $160 million a year. It ranked first in research intensity per graduate student ($56,600), and second in average research dollars per faculty member ($198,500).

Sponsored research income encompasses all funds supporting research, including grants, contributions and contracts.

As well, U of G ranked first in not-for-profit research income growth, with a 141.6-per-cent change from 2018 to 2019.

Research funding supports U of G faculty, technical staff and graduate students engaged in high-quality research and training opportunities across seven colleges and 15 research stations.

U of G’s standing reflects research strengths in many areas, notably agriculture, food and the bio-economy, as well as veterinary sciences, environmental science, human health, humanities and social sciences.

A division of The Impact Group, Research Infosource is an independent national consulting firm that tracks research activities of Canadian companies, universities and governments.