Sask Polytech receives top ranking in several categories on Canada’s Top 50 Research Colleges list

By Cory Knutt

Saskatchewan Polytechnic has been ranked first in Re$earch InfoSource Inc.’s latest Top 50 Research Colleges list for number of completed research projects. Sask Polytech completed 350 research projects in 2020-21.

Sask Polytech also received a second-place ranking for the number of research partnerships, with 208 collaborations. In addition, Sask Polytech received second place for industry research income as a percentage of total research income and NSERC research income as a percentage of total research income.

“These are impressive institutional milestones for Sask Polytech’s applied research team,” said Dr. Susan Blum, Applied Research and Innovation associate vice-president. “Our team has worked incredibly hard over the past year to increase the number of applied research projects completed from 245 to 350. More projects result in more successful partnerships with industry and communities. Applied research is important because it helps identify and solve real-world problems and leads to the development of innovative new products and services. This creates new and exciting opportunities for faculty and students.”

In a news release, Saskatchewan Polytechnic listed projects of note from 2020-21:

Working closely with Cowessess First Nation on a joint initiative, the Remote Sensing of Residential School Cemeteries applied research project. In partnership with Cowessess First Nation, Sask Polytech used remote sensing technologies, specifically unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) with imaging sensors, together with traditional ground penetrating radar (GPR) to locate unidentified and unmarked grave sites.

Sask Polytech’s Digital Integration Centre of Excellence (DICE) created a prototype that uses a system similar to GPS technology to identify the positions of people and equipment in an underground mine, within 30 cm of their actual location. This technology enables companies to operate more efficiently by improving mine safety, process optimization and automation.

The Farmer and Rancher Mental Health (FARMh) initiative, a patient-oriented research project, was launched to study key features of a farm-culture friendly mental health support system for Saskatchewan farmers and ranchers. This project continues to receive funding and support our agriculture community.

Sask Polytech also worked on a project to better understand and protect Lake Sturgeon. An applied research team examined spawning cycles and generating demographic data of Lake Sturgeon in the North Saskatchewan River without using invasive sampling procedures. This project collected data to influence fish species management and how to better approach habitat conservation.

Re$earch InfoSource is a Canadian-based research, consulting and publishing firm that specializes in policy, research, business intelligence and analysis on science, technology, innovation, and the Canadian R&D ecosystem.