Durham College (DC) is pleased to announce it has once again been named one of Canada’s Top 50 Research Colleges for 2021 by Research Infosource Inc. This is the eighth time the college has received this honour, which is informed by data on research income, intensity, partnerships and projects at colleges across the country.

This year, in addition to moving up in the main ranking to 39th, the college was also ranked second for Paid Student Researchers and Industry Research Income Intensity among mid-tier institutions.

DC’s Office of Research Services, Innovation and Entrepreneurship (ORSIE), which facilitates all applied research at the college, has been supporting small to medium-sized businesses and student experiential learning through innovation and collaboration since its inception in 2009.

“This recognition is an incredible success for our research team at the college,” said Debbie McKee Demczyk, dean, ORSIE. “Not only does it recognize the innovation taking place within our research centres, but it also showcases the college’s strong commitment to experiential learning and community partnerships.”

Highlights from 2021 include the launch of a new applied research centre – the Social Impact Hub – which joins the already well-established AI Hub, Centre for Craft Brewing Innovation, Mixed Reality Capture Studio and Centre for Cybersecurity Innovation, allowing the college to further broaden its expertise and diversify its research portfolio. ORSIE also hosted its second Enable AI Summit in 2021 for 230 industry professionals, and received funding to support its first-ever postdoctoral fellowship.

Over the last decade, ORSIE has worked with 190 industry partners on 409 projects involving more than 665 students, allowing DC to make its mark as a leading research institution through cutting-edge innovation, growth and impactful work.