The combined sponsored research income of the colleges and cégeps on Canada’s Top 50 Research Colleges List reached $331.1 million in Fiscal 2022, a sizeable gain of 24.0% over Fiscal 2021. Research income was in the form of research grants, contracts and contributions (cash and in-kind) from third parties. In Fiscal 2022, Total Government funding accounted for $210.3 million or 64% of the total. Federal government sources accounted for 42% of total funding ($137.4 million), while Provincial governments contributed 22% ($71.5 million) to the total. Industry funding was responsible for 30% ($99.8 million) of all funding, while Non-Industry sources provided 4% to the total.
Niagara College moved into first place and led the national Top 50 Research Colleges ranking, reporting sponsored research income in Fiscal 2022 of $32.0 million, a 76.8% increase over Fiscal 2021. Cégep de Trois-Rivières dropped into second place posting research income of $26.2 million, a substantial increase of 32.1%. Lambton College maintained 3rd position with $16.1 million, a gain of 13.3%. Overall, in Fiscal 2022, 36 institutions posted research income increases against 14 where research income declined.
Top 50 – Leading Provinces
Province
% of Total
Ontario (17)
39
Quebec (14)
26
Alberta (8)
18
British Columbia (3)
6
Provincial Performance
In Fiscal 2022, 17 Ontario colleges accounted for 39% of the Top 50 total ($127.9 million, up 29.8%) and 14 Quebec colleges and cégeps accounted for 26% ($85.9 million, up 16.1%). Alberta’s eight colleges were responsible for 18% of the national total ($59.5 million, up 30.4%) and British Columbia’s three institutions contributed 6% ($18.9 million, down -6.2%).
Average per-college provincial research income was highest in Saskatchewan, where Saskatchewan
Polytechnic reported $9.9 million of sponsored research income, followed by two of the larger
provinces: Ontario colleges which garnered an average of $7.5 million and Alberta’s colleges averaged $7.4 million. In Manitoba, RRC Polytech also received $7.4 million in Fiscal 2022.British Columbia colleges attracted $6.3 million per institution on average and Quebec’s colleges and cégeps attracted $6.1 million per institution on average.
Research Income Growth
In Fiscal 2022, six of the institutions on the Top 50 reported triple-digit growth in sponsored research income. Among the top gainers were NorQuest College (166.5%), La Cité (148.3%), Cégep de Thetford (127.4%), Georgian College (121.4%), Bow Valley College (119.8%) and Durham College (116.3%).
Research Intensity
A number of colleges stood out in terms of research intensity – research income per researcher – in Fiscal 2022. The top three were Niagara College ($572,000 per researcher), Olds College ($233,100 per researcher) and Lethbridge College ($198,800 per researcher). The national average research intensity in Fiscal 2022 was $70,800 per researcher.
Spotlight on College Research Activity FY2022
Research Partnerships*
Rank
Large
#
1
Sheridan College
187
2
Saskatchewan Polytechnic
185
3
Algonquin College
180
Rank
Medium
#
1
Lambton College
257
2
Mohawk College
224
3
Niagara College
222
Rank
Small
#
1
Cégep de Trois-Rivières
454
2
Cégep de La Pocatière
248
3
Cégep de la Gaspésie et des Îles
211
Completed Research Projects*
Rank
Large
#
1
Saskatchewan Polytechnic
382
2
Algonquin College
127
3
George Brown College
110
Rank
Medium
#
1
Niagara College
208
2
Lambton College
176
3
RRC Polytech
170
Rank
Small
#
1
Cégep de Trois-Rivières
561
2
Selkirk College
142
3
Cégep de La Pocatière
138
Paid Student Researchers**
Rank
Large
#
1
Centennial College
571
2
Saskatchewan Polytechnic
347
3
Sheridan College
324
Rank
Medium
#
1
Lambton College
222
2
Durham College
208
3
Mohawk College
174
Rank
Small
#
1
Cégep de Trois-Rivières
123
2
Selkirk College
58
3
Cégep de La Pocatière
45
Notes:
College size tiers are based on a rolling average of the past 5 years of total college income:
Large = $250 million or more; Medium = $75 million to less than $250 million; Small = less than $75 million.
* Research partnerships and completed research projects with external organizations governed by formal written agreements. Excludes technical services agreements.
** Students that were involved in applied research projects that were paid for their work.
Top 10 Research Colleges by Research Income Growth FY2022
2022 Rank
College
% Change 2021-2022
1
NorQuest College
166.5
2
La Cité
148.3
3
Cégep de Thetford
127.4
4
Georgian College
121.4
5
Bow Valley College
119.8
6
Durham College
116.3
7
Aurora College
83.5
8
Olds College
78.8
9
Niagara College
76.8
10
Mohawk College
69.2
Top 10 Research Colleges by Research Intensity FY2022
2022 Rank
College
$ per Researcher $000
1
Niagara College
$572.0
2
Olds College
$233.1
3
Lethbridge College
$198.8
4
Cégep de Trois-Rivières
$184.8
5
Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT)
$169.4
6
NAIT - Northern Alberta Institute of Technology
$165.7
7
Selkirk College
$159.5
8
Cégep de Shawinigan
$134.5
9
Cégep de Thetford
$129.3
10
College of the North Atlantic
$120.0
Research Partnerships and Projects
Measuring a college’s or cégep’s volume of research partnerships and completed research projects provides a good indication of its levels of activity and output. In Fiscal 2022, the Top 50 Research Colleges engaged in a total of 5,191 research partnerships and 3,804 completed research projects. A number of institutions stood out on these measures. Among Large institutions, Sheridan College led reporting 187 research partnerships in Fiscal 2022. Lambton College (257) was the leader in the Medium category, while Cégep de Trois-Rivières headed the Small tier with 454 partnerships.
In terms of completed research projects the leaders by tier were: Saskatchewan Polytechnic in the Large tier completed 382 projects, Niagara College in the Medium tier completed 208 projects and Cégep de Trois-Rivières in the Small tier completed 561 projects in Fiscal 2022.
Students provide a large element of the college research workforce and receive experience and payment in return. A total of 3,851 students engaged in some kind of paid applied research projects. The top institutions by tier were: Centennial College in the Large tier employed a total of 571 students on its research projects, while Lambton College in the Medium tier employed 222 and Cégep de Trois-Rivières in the Small category hired 123 students.
Spotlight on College Industry Research Income 2018-2022
Research Infosource shines the spotlight on college industry research income, as measured by grants, contracts or contributions received from industry sources between FY2018-FY2022.
Industry Research Income
Rank
Large
$000
1
Humber College
$21,302
2
Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT)
$18,103
3
NAIT - Northern Alberta Institute of Technology
$13,777
4
Sheridan College
$12,856
5
British Columbia Institute of Technology
$10,820
Rank
Medium
$000
1
Niagara College
$53,178
2
Mohawk College
$21,867
3
Lambton College
$20,145
4
RRC Polytech
$7,018
5
Fleming College
$5,049
Rank
Small
$000
1
Cégep de Trois-Rivières
$31,223
2
Cégep de La Pocatière
$21,591
3
Cégep de Thetford
$7,315
4
Cégep de Shawinigan
$6,667
5
Olds College
$4,474
Industry Research Income as % of Total College Research Income
Rank
Large
%
1
Humber College
49.3
2
Centennial College
35.9
3
Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT)
35.8
4
Conestoga College
33.9
5
Sheridan College
33.6
Rank
Medium
%
1
Niagara College
64.0
2
Mohawk College
46.5
3
Lambton College
30.7
4
Fleming College
30.4
5
La Cité
26.6
Rank
Small
%
1
Cégep de La Pocatière
61.1
2
Cégep de Trois-Rivières
34.0
3
Cégep de Shawinigan
27.8
4
Cégep de Thetford
22.1
5
Cégep de Saint-Jérôme
20.7
Industry Research Income Growth (% Change FY2018-FY2022)
Rank
Large
%
1
Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT)
356.8
2
British Columbia Institute of Technology
250.7
3
Sheridan College
239.6
4
Saskatchewan Polytechnic
154.1
5
NAIT - Northern Alberta Institute of Technology
53.4
Rank
Medium
%
1
Niagara College
1,414.3
2
Lethbridge College
1,050.2
3
La Cité
286.4
4
Camosun College
118.5
5
Cambrian College
49.3
Rank
Small
%
1
Cégep de Saint-Jérôme
459.5
2
Collège d'Alma
230.5
3
Cégep de l'Abitibi-Témiscamingue
189.9
4
Cégep de Shawinigan
175.5
5
Olds College
149.3
Notes:
Based on colleges on the Top 50 Research Colleges list for all 5 years; and reported research income in the form of a grant, contract or contribution from industry sources between FY2018-FY2022.
Excludes income from technical service agreements.
College size tiers are based on a rolling average of the past 5 years of total college income: Large = $250 million or more; Medium = $75 million to less than $250 million; Small = less than $75 million.
This Year and Next
Fiscal 2022 was a strong year for college research funding. Nearly three-quarters of colleges reported increased research income. Federal Government sources boosted their investments by 24.0%, mostly based on increased funding by NSERC. Provincial support was up by 27.3%. Best of all, colleges reported a substantial 36.2% jump in research income from Industry. Thus, overall research income growth was broadly based.
Last year we wrote, “economic conditions are in flux”. Even more so this year. Given that colleges are reliant on governments for around two-thirds of their research income, it’s clear that Federal and Provincial budgets will weigh strongly on available resources next year. It is no secret that government budgets are increasingly strained, so there is some uncertainty on that front.
This year’s strong jump in research support from companies is encouraging. We can only hope that firms will maintain their research collaborations. Overall, Fiscal 2022 provided a good jumping-off point for the coming year.
