UNBC has another feather in its cap. Last year was the university's second-most profitable year for research income, with $17.7 million in funding. This was beaten only by $100,000 in 2010.
The university's research income for 2023 puts it at the 10th spot in the undergraduate tier, with an overall ranking of 41st in Canada, all with a student body of 3,656 compared to the University of Toronto's 71,041 or York University's 45,095.
“The continued success of UNBC researchers in securing funding in a highly competitive environment speaks to the innovation and relevance of the projects being undertaken here in northern British Columbia,” says UNBC president Geoff Payne in a recent press release. “From a $5 million initiative studying salmon resilience to a $1.5 million grant exploring the impact of herbicides on forest ecosystems, UNBC researchers are addressing pressing global challenges with solutions rooted in local expertise.”
Of that $17.7 million, $5 million was earned studying salmon resilience. This money was hard-fought-for, the press release states, as the British Columbia Salmon Restoration and Innovation Fund (BCSRIF) was one of the most sought-after and well-funded grants available.
This money was spent on upgrading existing infrastructure in salmon hatcheries and studying the effects drought, flooding, water temperature change and wildfire-contaminated sediment have had on local salmon populations.
As well, a university first was earned by UNBC associate Prof. Lisa Wood and a team of researchers who earned a grant of $1.5 million from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC). This grant was a first for the UNBC.
Wood and her team have already noted a reduction in forest foods for wildlife, changes in the chemistry of residual foods present, and noted how environmental conditions like temperature and photoperiod impact residue breakdown, the release states.
Overall, NSERC funding came to $2 million.
More than $300,000 was awarded from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) Insight Grant program.
