Sunnybrook Gets Top Marks in 'Research Intensity' Among Canada's Research Hospitals

By Alisa Kim

Sunnybrook Research Institute (SRI) ranked third in research intensity among general hospitals in Canada's Top 40 Research Hospitals List 2012. The list is published each fall by Research Infosource Inc., a firm that analyzes research and development by Canada's top companies, universities and hospitals.

Research intensity is a new metric that was introduced this year to measure research income per researcher. At $517,400 generated per researcher, SRI's research intensity is nearly twice that of the national average, which is $267,200.

Moreover, SRI's research intensity surpassed that of the top three research hospitals overall, two of which are comprised of multiple sites: the University Health Network, which has three hospitals; the Hospital for Sick Children and McGill University Health Centre, comprised of six hospitals.

The top 40 list scores hospitals across the country based on total research income in the previous fiscal year, as reported in the Canadian Research Hospitals Database. Sunnybrook Research Institute ranked seventh in this year's list—third, if one counts only single-site hospitals—but enjoyed a healthy 15.2% increase in revenue between 2010 and 2011, taking in just over $122 million last year. This double-digit gain in income is notable given that four of the top five research hospitals reported declines in research income in 2011.

In its analysis of the 2011 data, Research Infosource indicated that Canada's top 40 research hospitals reported $2.2 billion in research income—a "meagre" 0.7% increase from 2010. It noted that the flat research income growth in 2011 will result in less research conducted because the everyday costs of research—salaries, supplies and operating expenses—are fixed. The analysis also stated that the nominal gain is "disappointing" in light of the important role these institutions play in Canada's system of health research and innovation. While "brain drain" would normally be expected in a climate of static funding, the equally, if not more, depressed health sectors within Europe and the U.S. will minimize the emigration of Canadian researchers, the report's authors said.

Canada's Top 40 Research Hospitals List 2012 is available on the Research Infosource website.