UdeS cements its position as one of the country’s leading research universities

Sherbrooke, le 05 décembre 2024 – The Université de Sherbrooke (UdeS) has once again grabbed the spotlight as a key Canadian research centre with its recent high ranking in Canada’s Top 50 Research Universities, a list of the country’s most prolific research universities published annually by Research Infosource.

UdeS’s committed and dynamic community applies a unique approach that harnesses the strengths of a culture of partnership, shared professional infrastructure and expertise, along with an interdisciplinary vision. The combination of these distinctive strengths has allowed UdeS to innovate and rank 11th among Canadian universities that have the highest research revenues, with $240.3 million for the 2022-2023 reference year.

“UdeS has established itself as a major research university thanks to the vibrancy of its research community, whose dedicated work is once again behind our success this year, and I thank everyone for their contribution,” said Jean-Pierre Perreault, Vice-President, Research and Graduate Studies.

Cementing UdeS’s place among the country’s leading research universities indeed comes from the vitality and talent of its entire research community. Backed by skilled and dedicated teams who support their activities, UdeS researchers carry out important work with multiple benefits for society.

Canada’s Top 50 Research Universities ranks universities according to research revenues from governments and other partners for their scientific activities and includes researcher bursaries as well as research grants and contracts awarded by government agencies, non-profit organizations, and private companies.

Significant research revenues are a reliable indicator of the excellence and relevance of university research, as they attest to the confidence of investors and funding agencies in research teams. Revenue also indicates that the university has the resources to train high-level students in areas deemed a priority.

“Decision-makers and our partners support us because they see UdeS as a major stakeholder that can innovate through relevant and bold projects that meet our society’s needs. I thank them for their support and confidence,” said UdeS Rector Pierre Cossette.

A partnership culture that creates concrete benefits

Thanks to a long tradition of partnerships from over 50 years of coop internships, UdeS has implemented an innovative collaboration model that serves both its partners and its research community. Based on genuine synergy between university research and organizational communities, this unique partnership research ecosystem generates tangible economic, social, cultural and environmental benefits for all of society.

“We often hear that UdeS is increasingly in its own class when it comes to collaborative research and its close relationship to public and private organizations. This original approach aligns the realities of the market and society with high-level research so that we can develop relevant solutions that meet needs. This approach also creates a first-rate experiential learning environment for our students,” explained Vincent Aimez, Vice-President, Partnerships and Knowledge Transfer.

Known for its desire to nurture innovation at organizations such as NPOs, SMEs, municipalities and large corporations, the University counts on the support of its Business Partnership Group to build ties with the community.

Pooling resources to maximize results

Sharing resources, equipment and professional expertise is another way that UdeS innovates to make its mark on the research stage.

Resource sharing serves a large number of research teams to advance multiple separate projects to maximize the impact of public funding and investments from private enterprises. Knowing that their support will benefit as many people as possible, the organizations that fund UdeS projects have the reassurance that their money will be put to good use.

In addition to being a powerful argument for grant applications, resource sharing gives both new researchers and students access to many state-of-the-art facilities.

Savings from shared expertise and infrastructure go toward the purchase of highly sophisticated equipment so that UdeS research teams are always a step ahead in their field and have one of the highest utilization rates in the university network.

Cross-pollinating disciplines to generate progress

To find innovative solutions that address complex societal issues, UdeS has always fostered an interdisciplinary approach to research. Breaking down silos to combine disciplines also leads to bold and original new ideas that are more likely to accelerate major discoveries.

This inclusive model has naturally contributed to UdeS’s reputation for excellence in specific areas. Climate change and the environment, the aging of the population as well as materials, innovative processes, and quantum science are all part of the interdisciplinary umbrella of researchers from all backgrounds who work together to enrich our vision and understanding of these socially relevant research themes. Breaking down disciplinary boundaries by creating supportive structures is UdeS’s way of reaching new heights of innovation and advancing knowledge. It also boasts a number of Clusters of Research Excellence, which include 6 institutes and 19 research centres, where cross-cutting disciplines shine new light on the most promising innovations.

UdeS is cementing its place among the country’s leading research universities by doing research differently. Partnerships, resource sharing and interdisciplinarity are the innovations that set it apart as it builds relevant, high-level knowledge that societies need to progress toward a better future.

Facts about UdeS research

• A research community of over 6500 people
• Over 100 bursaries in research excellence awarded each year
• 6 areas of excellence that promote interdisciplinary research
• 19 research centres
  
• 105 research chairs, including 2 Canada Excellence Research Chairs
  
• 2 CNRS international research laboratories: LN2 and the Quantum Frontiers Lab
  
• 1 CNRS international research laboratory
• 6 research institutes
  
• An institutional network of research platforms that offer highly specialized services and shared equipment
• An incomparable environment that trains the next generation of scientists
  
• A support structure that fosters technology transfer

Research to the power of ten!

It is no accident that the Université de Sherbrooke stands out in research. The secret to its success has been the strategic blend of its three signature strengths: partnership, interdisciplinarity, and the pooling of resources. Learn more about what has made UdeS one of Canada’s most prolific research universities.

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Information:

Isabelle Huard, Media Relations Advisor
Communications Department | Université de Sherbrooke
medias@USherbrooke.ca | 819-821-8000, extension 63395