U of S research income from all sources jumped from $106.9 million to $150.5 million in 2006-07, resulting in a three-place leap to 13th place in the national research income rankings.

The whopping U of S gain in research revenue contrasted with the lackluster national average of 3.5 per cent growth, the second lowest gain in nine years.

Ron Freedman, CEO of Research Infosource, congratulated the U of S on its “impressive showing” and said it will be interesting to see if universities posting gains can buck the downward trend and “keep the momentum going in the potentially troubled times ahead.”

U of S also registered an almost 42-per-cent gain in the “research intensity” indicator—total research income per full-time faculty member—in this year’s ranking compared with last year’s.

“The U of S has highly talented faculty who are making wonderful discoveries which are in turn increasing our ability to attract more research funding,” said Karen Chad, U of S Acting Vice-President of Research.

She said the U of S research income growth largely reflects increased funding for research activity from both the federal and Saskatchewan governments.

“A significant portion of the increase was due to the presence on our campus of the Canadian Light Source (CLS) synchrotron, a premier research facility which is advancing interdisciplinary research in many areas,” Chad said.

“As well, U of S posted increased funding from federal granting councils, the Canada Foundation for Innovation, the Saskatchewan government, and non-government sources including charitable research funding agencies,” she said.

She noted there were significant contributions in provincial funding for a range of capital projects and research laboratories such as the Grain Innovation Lab.

“With all the major research-related capital projects at the U of S, including the Western College of Veterinary Medicine expansion, beamline construction at the CLS, and construction of both the International Vaccine Centre and the Academic Health Sciences Centre, this can only translate into continued and expanded research projects and funding,” she said.

Located in the heart of Saskatoon, the University of Saskatchewan is one of the leading medical doctoral universities in Canada. With 58 degrees, diplomas and certificates in over 100 areas of study, the University is uniquely positioned in the areas of human, animal and plant studies. World-class research facilities, renowned faculty and award winning students make the U of S a leader in post-secondary education.

For more information on the rankings, visit www.researchinfosource.com

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For more information, contact:

Kathryn Warden
Research Communications
University of Saskatchewan
(306) 966-2506