The University of Calgary has been named one of the top five research universities in Canada. The ranking by Research Infosource of the country’s top 50 research universities for 2025 is based on external funding in 2024—U of C received nearly $600 million in research funding that year. The fifth-place ranking is one spot higher than the previous year. Ed McCauley, U of C president and vice-chancellor, said research happening there “improves the world around us.” “It creates jobs, powers new economic sectors and makes Albertans healthier—even saving lives,” McCauley said in a release issued Thursday. “In just 59 years, the University of Calgary has become a research and innovation powerhouse, competing with institutions that have been around for much longer. “Our research community rises to this challenge every day, fuelled by bold ambitions, entrepreneurial thinking and academic rigour.” William Ghali, U of C vice-president of research, attributed the ranking to “the brilliance and dedication of our research community.” “Our sponsored research income is more than just a dollar amount—it’s breakthrough discoveries, life-saving innovations and solutions to the most pressing problems facing the communities we serve,” Ghali said in Thursday’s release. McCauley additionally told press the ranking speaks to U of C research and innovation and the strong learning environment for students it offers. “Being in the top five is a recognition that our faculty members are competing extremely well on the national and international stage to bring in funding to support research enterprise in Calgary,” McCauley said. “(It’s) very, very important.” Ahead in the rankings were the University of Toronto, Université de Montréal, McGill University and the University of British Columbia. Those were the top four the previous year as well, albeit in a different order: Toronto, UBC, Montréal and McGill. The previous year, U of C was sixth and the University of Alberta was fifth. This time, U of A was sixth. Research Infosource says on its website it obtains its financial data for its top 50 research universities rankings from Statistics Canada.
