Aurora College is one of the best research colleges in the country, according to a list compiled by Research Infosource Inc.
The college – which has campuses in Yellowknife, Fort Smith and Inuvik – ranks 28th out of 50 of the best research institutions in Canada.
SEE FOR YOURSELF: The top 50 research colleges in Canada (pdf)
Aurora says it owes its success to its research division – Aurora Research Institute – which has recently updated and introduced policies that have elevated the college’s approach to research ethics and procedures.
Those policies have allowed Aurora to successfully apply for and hold funds from major research granting organizations in Canada.
According to Research Infosource Inc., 19 of the top 50 research colleges in the country are based in Quebec, 15 are in Ontario, five are in Alberta and three can be found in British Columbia.
Meanwhile, one college was recognized from the Northwest Territories, Yukon, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia respectively.
‘Very exciting’
In the first half of 2016, Aurora College staff and their research partners secured a number of funding grants to pursue different projects.
Those grants have come from two of the largest research granting organizations in the country – the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council.
They’ll help fund a number of pilot projects across the territory, including one to ‘indigenize’ education and another to test experimental equipment in extreme conditions.
Jolie Gareis is vice president of research with the Aurora Research Institute.
She says the college has made a real push in the last two years to secure more significant funding.
“We’ve really tried over the last couple years to promote research, to develop our research program, to broaden what we’re doing and to partner with organizations to do Northern-focused research,” she said.
“It’s very exciting for us that we’re eligible to hold these funds. In the future we’re going to be able to do even more research.”
