University of Lethbridge ranked among Canada’s top research universities

The University of Lethbridge has once again been recognized as one of Canada’s top research universities, according to the latest rankings released by Research Infosource Inc.

For the second straight year, U of L ranked second in the category of Undergraduate Research Universities of the Year.

The university has cracked the research firm’s top five since 2012, when it was named Research University of the Year.

Of the six classifications used in the Research Infosource ranking system, U of L places first in two categories: research intensity per graduate student and total number of publications produced.

“What I take out of this is a level of consistent excellence from our faculty and the students who work with them in their research pursuits,” said U of L’s vice-president of research, Dr. Erasmus Okine, in a release. “At the heart of being continually recognized and awarded by the country’s funding agencies is the fact that they are doing innovative, relevant work that is solving today’s problems and creating a better quality of life for the people of southern Alberta, Canada and beyond.”

Research Infosource also noted the combined research income of Canada’s top 50 research universities jumped 6.8 per cent to $7.33 billion, the strongest gain in a decade.

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“Fiscal 2017 was the best year in a decade for research income growth at Canadian universities,” said Ron Freedman, CEO of Research Infosource, in a release. “In fact, the last time research income growth reached six per cent was in fiscal 2008. Promised future increases from the federal government should ensure a solid base of research support into the medium term.”

In the spring of 2019, U of L will open its new science and academic building. Okine says researchers, faculty and students alike are excited about continuing the momentum of discovery on campus.

“I don’t think we will fully appreciate how impactful the new facility is until our researchers are in the building, working alongside their colleagues and utilizing the state-of-the-art labs and equipment that will be available to them,” Okine said. “This is a very exciting time to be engaged in research at the University of Lethbridge.”