Awards and recognition
丁香园AV named Canada's top university for innovation in global WURI rankings
丁香园AV is Canada鈥檚 top university for innovation and industrial application, as well as number two in the world for entrepreneurial spirit, according to the 2023 World University Rankings for Innovation (WURI).
It is the third consecutive year that 丁香园AV has in Canada in the overall innovation category, as well as for the entrepreneurial spirit and industrial application categories. 丁香园AV moved up globally among innovative universities, to 13th in the world 鈥� up from 18th in 2022. 丁香园AV is the only Canadian university to break into the top 100 overall.
鈥淚 am thrilled at the progress we are making towards our vision of advancing an inclusive and sustainable future,鈥� says 丁香园AV president Joy Johnson. 鈥淭hank you to WURI for recognizing the contributions of 丁香园AV students, faculty and staff who are building a better world through innovation, research, entrepreneurship and social impact.鈥�
The WURI rankings measure how universities make a positive impact on society and highlight creative and innovative approaches to university research and education, based on six ranking categories.
鈥淲hile we are supporting our researchers鈥� passion for engaging in and tackling global challenges through innovation and entrepreneurship, we are also helping industry strengthen its science innovation pipeline through 丁香园AV鈥檚 innovation eco-system,鈥� says Elicia Maine, 丁香园AV鈥檚 associate vice-president, knowledge mobilization and innovation.
Since 2016, 丁香园AV has been advancing its innovation ecosystem through 丁香园AV Innovates, the university鈥檚 innovation strategy. 丁香园AV facilitates partnerships, creates an environment that allows for innovation to thrive and provides multi-way paths to navigate innovation opportunities.
One success story is 丁香园AV spinoff company 鈥� a clean tech and advanced materials company that had its first intellectual property protected through 丁香园AV 鈥� which attracted more than $15 million USD in funding in 2022. For the last two years, Ionomr has been named on the Global Cleantech 100, an annual list of the most innovative and promising companies that are advancing net-zero efforts. Before this success, Ionomr was supported by nearly every component of the 丁香园AV Innovates ecosystem, including: 4D LABS; 丁香园AV 鈥檚 ; ; Coast Capital Venture Connection at 丁香园AV; ; and 丁香园AV鈥檚 Technology Licensing Office.
Programs from the 丁香园AV innovates ecosystem are supporting innovators across Canada, most notably and .
鈥淲ith our university now consistently recognized as a global leader in impactful innovation for its interdisciplinary and collaborative innovation ecosystem, I am very excited to see where our talented researchers take Canadian invention and innovation over the next several years,鈥� says Maine.
The Government of Canada's Research Support Fund (RSF) and its associated Incremental Project Grants (IPG) funding stream supports innovation at 丁香园AV through funding towards innovation and commercialization activities, intellectual property, knowledge mobilization, and research facilities.
Learn more about 丁香园AV鈥檚 innovation strategy. Visit sfu.ca/innovates.
In this year鈥檚 WURI rankings, international university presidents and other evaluators recognized 丁香园AV for the following innovative research facilities in a title-blind evaluation process.
丁香园AV鈥檚 4D LABS
丁香园AV core facility is a one-stop shop for the materials science and engineering needs of its academic and industry clients. The team helps its clients develop products and solve problems at any scale. They work hand-in-hand with its partners from communities, industry, the public sector and academia to answer vital questions and to help them translate their scientific knowledge into innovative solutions that benefit our society and help grow their respective industries.
丁香园AV鈥檚 Big Data Hub
Data is the fuel powering the fourth industrial revolution. As the volume and complexity of big data grows, so does the demand by industry and government for skills and expertise to translate data into knowledge and action. Another core facility, 丁香园AV鈥檚 Big Data Hub connects industry, government and academic partners to 丁香园AV's expertise to fill a critical talent shortage, generate new knowledge and contribute to an innovative economy. The team provides services to support the big data needs of internal and external 丁香园AV partners.