Expenditures by Canadian universities on scientific research and development accounted for about 40% of all spending on scientific research and development in Canada in 2006.
Research in the natural and social sciences in Canada, with a few important exceptions, is almost exclusively funded by the Canadian taxpayer and is distributed to universities by five important federal funding agencies, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC). Additional monies are also provided by the Canada Research Chairs organization, which provides financing for the staffing of research personnel at Canadian universities and the Canada Foundation for Innovation, which supports the acquisition of scientific research infrastructure by Canadian universities, colleges, research hospitals, and non-profit research institutions.
In 2006, total spending on scientific and industrial research in Canada amounted to C$28.067 billion or about 2 percent of GDP. In 2006, Canadian universities spent C$10.890 billion on research and development, representing about 40 percent of all R&D spending in Canada and about .66 percent of Canada's GDP.
Below are the names of those university institutions that carry out both natural and social science research, although the emphasis here is on the former. The largest part of funding from NSERC, is received by 15 universities, not surprisingly the largest in the country, which have formed an association named the U15. The list below ranks the members of this group in order of NSERC grant size. A number of thematically specialized virtual university research organizations, the Networks of Excellence, have been established and are listed here. Also included are the names of some particular research organizations and projects notable for their large size or for other characteristics. This is followed by a brief description of the expenditures on scientific research and development by sector. Finally the list includes those support organizations that fund scientific research at the university level or contribute to its success in other ways.
U15 largest Canadian research universities
University of Toronto
Toronto, Ontario.
NSERC Funding 2003: C$M 54,264
Number of Canada Research Chairs – 245
Research institutes Natural science research Institute for Aerospace Studies Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics Centre for the Analysis of Genome Evolution and Function (CAGEF) Terrence Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research Canadian Drosophila Microarray Centre Centre for Environment The Fields Institute for Research in Mathematical Sciences Proteomics Research Centre Engineering Research Centre for Advanced Coating Technologies Centre for Applied Power Electronics Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering Canadian Aeronautics and Space Institute Emerging Communications Technology Institute Energenius Centre for Advanced Nanotechnology Hitachi Survey Research Centre Intelligent Transportation Systems Institute for Knowledge Innovation and Technology Centre for Landscape Research InterNetwork Lassonde Institute (Engineering Geoscience) Centre for Microelectronics Assembly and Packaging Molecular Design and Information Technology Center (MDIT) Centre for Nuclear Engineering Positron Emission Tomography Centre Pulp and Paper Centre Vector Institute Medical research Sunnybrook Research Institute Institute of Medical Science Sunnybrook Centre for studies in Aging Banting and Best Diabetes Centre Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine Centre for Health Promotion Heart & Stroke/Richard Lewar Centre for Cardiovascular Research Institute for Human Development, Life Course and Aging Centre for International Health, Faculty of Medicine R. Samuel McLaughlin Centre for Molecular Medicine Centre for the Neurobiology of Stress Centre for research in Neurodegenerative Diseases U of T Centre for the Study of Pain Sleep Medicine and Circadian Biology Social science research Joint Centre for Bioethics Clarkson Centre for Business Effectiveness and Board Effectiveness Capital Markets Institute CERIS – The Ontario Metropolis Centre Institute for Competitiveness & Prosperity Centre of Criminology Centre for research in Education (Medical) International Centre for Educational Change G8 Information Centre Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology Centre for Industrial Relations Centre for research into Information Studies Centre for Innovation Law and Policy Centre for Integrative and Anti-Racism Studies Institute for International Business Knowledge Media and Design Institute Laidlaw Centre (Institute of Child Study) Centre for Management of Technology and Entrepreneurship Centre for Media and Culture in Education Centre for Modern Language Multimedia Centre for Learning in the Humanities Munk Centre for International Studies Institute for Policy Analysis Centre de Recherches en éducation Franco-ontarienne Centre for Applied Social Research Atkinson Centre for Society and Child Development Imperial Oil Centre for Studies in Science, Mathematics and Technology Education Centre for Study of Education and Work Centre for the Study of the United States Centre for Teacher Development Centre for Technology and Social Development Transformative Learning Centre Centre for Urban and Community Studies Centre for Research in Women's Health Institute for Women's Studies and Gender Studies Centre for Women's Studies in Education
University of British Columbia
Vancouver, British Columbia.
NSERC Funding 2003: C$M 43,004
Number of Canada Research Chairs – 148
Research institutes Land & Food Systems Avian Research Centre UBC Dairy Education and Research Centre UBC Centre for Aquaculture and Environmental Research (CAER) Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) Soil-Water Environmental Laboratory UBC Botanical Garden and Centre for Plant Research Wine Research Centre Natural Science and Engineering Institute for Aboriginal Health Institute for Applied Mathematics (IAM) Canadian Institute for Advanced Research Institute of Health Promotion Research Institute of Mental Health Pacific Institute for the Mathematical Sciences (PIMS) Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies Rick Hansen Institute (RHI) Robotics & Intelligent Systems (IRIS) Sustainable Development Research Institute (SDRI) Institute for Systems Biology (ISB) Social Science Institute of Asian Research BC Children's Hospital Research Institute English Language Institute (ELI) Institute for European Studies Human Early Learning Partnership Liu Institute for Global Issues Institute for Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute (SICI)
UBC also operates 65 research centres.
University of Alberta
Edmonton, Alberta.
NSERC Funding 2003 C$M 36,291
Number of Canada Research Chairs – 100
Centres and institutes Agricultural, Life and Environmental Sciences Alberta Poultry Research Centre Alberta Veterinary Research Institute (AVRI) Canada Science & Research Institute Inc (CSRI/Non Gov/Tr Labs Partner) Centre for Enhanced Forest Management (EFM) Dairy Research and Technology Centre (DRTC) Environmental Research and Studies Centre Material Culture Institute (MCI) Engineering Alberta Centre for Surface Engineering and Science Construction Research Institute for Canada (CIRC) Imperial Oil Centre for Oil Sands Innovation Health Sciences Council Alberta Centre on Aging Alberta Institute for Human Nutrition Community-University Partnership (CUP) The John Dossetor Health Ethics Centre Medicine and Dentistry Alberta Asthma Centre Alberta Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases Alberta Diabetes Research Institute Alberta Institute for Viral Immunology (AIVI) Alberta Peptide Institute (API) Alberta Transplant Applied Genomics Centre (ATAGC) Canadian VIGOUR Centre Centre for Health Evidence Centre for Neuroscience Digestive Health Care Centre for Colon Cancer (DHCCC) Glaxo Wellcome Heritage Research Institute Magnetic Resonance Diagnostics Centre (MRDC) Muttart Diabetes Research & Training Centre Perinatal Research Group Women and Children's Health Research Institute (WCHRI) Nursing Institute for Philosophical Nursing Research International Institute for Qualitative Methodology International Nursing Centre Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences Centre for Community Pharmacy Research and Interdisciplinary Studies (c/COMPRIS) Noujaim Institute School of Public Health Alberta Centre for Injury Control and Research Centre for Health Promotion Studies Rehabilitation Medicine Centre for Studies in Clinical Education (CSCE) Institute for Stuttering Treatment and Research (ISTAR) Rehabilitation Research Centre Science Alberta Centre for Earth Observation Sciences (CEOS) Alberta Cooperative Conservation Research Unit Alberta Ingenuity Centre for Carbohydrate Science Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute Applied Mathematics Institute Centre for Mathematical Biology Centre for Particle Physics Institute for Geophysical Research (IGR) Institute for Space Science, Exploration and Technology (ISSET) Statistics Centre Theoretical Physics Institute
McGill University
Montreal, Quebec.
Number of Canada Research Chairs – 133 Number of Canada Excellence Research Chairs – 2
NSERC Funding 2003: C$M 34,984
Research facilities
Downtown Campus – Faculty of Science and Faculty of Engineering
Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Engineering:
Bone and Periodontal Research, Centre for Advanced Materials, McGill Institute for (MIAM) Biodiversity Science, Quebec Centre for Bioinformatics, McGill Centre for Brain, Language and Music, Centre for Research on (CRBLM) Cell Imaging and Analysis Network (CIAN) Comparative Medicine and Animal Resources Centre Developmental Biology Research Initiative (DBRI) Experimental Ecology and Evolution, Laboratory for (LE3) High Energy Physics, Centre for Institut des sciences mathématiques de Montréal (ISM) Intelligent Machines, Centre for (CIM) Music, Media and Technology, Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in (CIRMMT) Pain, Alan Edwards Centre for Research on Physics of Materials, Centre for the (CPM) Self-Assembled Chemical Structures, Centre for (CSACS) Sustainability in Engineering and Design, Trottier Institute for Aerospace Engineering, McGill Institute for High Field NMR Facility Nanotools Microfab Laboratory Phytotron Redpath Museum Sheldon Biotechnology Centre Advanced Systems & Technologies on Communications, Centre for (SYTAcom) Water Resources Management, Brace Centre for Intelligent Machines, Centre for (CIM) McGill Metals Processing Centre Trottier Institute for Sustainability in Engineering and Design (TISED)
Downtown Campus – Faculty of Medicine and Faculty of Dentistry
Alan Edwards Centre for Research on Pain Anesthesia Research Unit Artificial Cells & Organs Research Centre Biomedical Ethics Unit Centre for Advanced Bone and Periodontal Research Centre for Applied Mathematics in Bioscience and Medicine (CAMBAM) Centre for Bone and Periodontal Research Centre for Bioinformatics Centre for Biorecognition and Biosensors Centre of Genomics and Policy Centre for Research in Neuroscience Centre for Nursing Research Centre for Research on Brain, Language and Music Centre for Research in Reproduction and Development Centre for Structural Biology (GRASP Research Group) Comparative Medicine and Animal Resources Centre Cystic Fibrosis Translational Research Centre (CFTRc) Douglas Mental Health University Institute Facility for Electron Microscopy Research (FEMR) Institute for Health and Social Policy J.D. MacLean Centre for Tropical Diseases Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research (McGill AIDS Centre)