‘Happy to be sitting in the top 5’: SAIT among Canada’s top research institutions

SAIT is celebrating 20 years of applied research and innovation as it holds steady in its top-five ranking among Canadian colleges.

Calgary’s Southern Alberta Institute of Technology is No. 4 on Research Infosource’s top 50 research institutions in the country for 2025.

It came in at No. 4 last year as well.

“We’re happy to be sitting in the top five,” said Jamie McInnis, SAIT director of applied research and innovation services.

“That makes us feel good, and we know that we’re doing great work.”

“I think this list is a good reflection of ‘How are you progressing?’ and ‘How are you able to connect with community and industry and be responsive to their needs?’” she said.

“We always want to be doing research that is relevant—research that matters.”

Research Infosource‘s top five is filled out by Cégep de Trois-Rivières in Quebec at No. 1, Mohawk College in Ontario at No. 2, NAIT in Alberta at No. 3 and Lambton College in Ontario at No. 5.

Alberta’s Lethbridge Polytechnic, Olds College, Bow Valley College, Red Deer Polytechnic, Lakeland College and Northwestern Polytechnic are Nos. 9, 20, 30, 31, 44 and 50, respectively.

McInnis notes many of Alberta’s research institutions regularly make the list and regularly rank high.

Edmonton’s Northern Alberta Institute of Technology came in at No. 3 last year as well.

On the universities’ side, for which Research Infosource runs a separate ranking, the University of Calgary is fifth for 2025, the University of Alberta is sixth and the University of Lethbridge is 40th.

McInnis says a key reason for such a steady positive result in Alberta is that many of these places work together.

She calls it being “competitively collaborative.”

“We’ve really changed the dynamics within the province about not being siloed,” she said.

20 years of applied research, innovation

SAIT’s working in industry-driven innovation for 20 years is “super exciting” to McInnis.

She says the institution has grown a lot in that time.

“It just started out as one room on the top floor of one building here, and now we have many labs, we have two campuses and we’re a very large research organization,” she said.

“I think we have 120,000 square feet of research space now.”

McInnis says applied research and innovation services’ current “pride and joy” is the Imperial Energy Innovation Centre.

It was made possible by a $37.5-million donation from Imperial Oil.

“(The centre is) down in Quarry Park, where we’re doing research to advance the development of energy resources,” McInnis said.

“And water—we do a lot of water research, and all of that research is done at Quarry Park as well.”

McInnis notes the high engagement of SAIT’s students as well.

“Students are on every project that we’re on, and they also do their own projects here as well,” she said.

“They’re learning the skills that industry wants, and almost always, our students are hired by the companies they work with.”

Looking to the next 20 years

Two decades deep in applied research and innovation, McInnis doesn’t figure SAIT’s slowing down.

But getting to 40 years only happens with belief and investment.

McInnis hopes the federal and provincial governments will keep SAIT in mind when considering where their coffers’ contents are going.

She believes it’s to their benefit.

“The applied research coming out of polytechs is the most impactful research to drive the economy in this current environment,” she said.

“Applied research is the ticket to economic growth in this current environment.”