Press release · Canada edition
Global Research Partnerships
London, 26 September 2026
The University of Toronto leads the world in Decision Sciences and the University of Calgary in Veterinary science. Only the United Kingdom and Hong Kong hold more subject world number ones in the first Research Collaboration Index.
The inaugural Research Collaboration Index (RCI), which measured 1,195 universities in 81 countries on who actually builds knowledge together, has named two Canadian universities as world number ones. The University of Toronto ranks first in the world in Decision Sciences and the University of Calgary first in Veterinary science. Of the 26 subject titles, only the United Kingdom, with ten, and Hong Kong, with six, hold more.
Overall, the University of Toronto ranks 15th in the world and the University of British Columbia 20th, both inside the global top 50. McGill is 56th, McMaster 94th and Calgary 96th, giving Canada five universities in the global top 100 and 28 ranked in all.
The index is built entirely from open, public data: 26.8 million co-authored research records published between 2021 and 2025. There are no surveys and no submissions. It measures who a university works with, in how many countries, how deep those ties run and how much the joint work is cited.
Canada's subject results reach beyond its two titles. The University of Toronto also ranks third in the world in Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics and fourth in Mathematics. McGill University ranks fourth in Neuroscience. McMaster University ranks fourth and the University of Ottawa sixth in Decision Sciences, the University of British Columbia seventh in Nursing and the University of Guelph seventh in Veterinary. In all, Canadian universities hold nine of the 260 subject top ten places.
| World | University | Partner institutions | Countries |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | University of Toronto | 1,181 | 81 |
| 20 | University of British Columbia | 1,173 | 81 |
| 56 | McGill University | 1,165 | 80 |
| 94 | McMaster University | 1,141 | 79 |
| 96 | University of Calgary | 1,144 | 80 |
| 109 | University of Alberta | 1,165 | 79 |
| 113 | University of Ottawa | 1,129 | 80 |
| 137 | Western University | 1,137 | 79 |
| 159 | University of Waterloo | 1,115 | 78 |
| 175 | Université de Montréal | 1,107 | 79 |
| 180 | Queen's University | 1,085 | 79 |
| 226 | Dalhousie University | 1,098 | 79 |
The result is a research system that performs far above its size in the fields where partnership is the method: health decision making, animal health and pharmacology.
Canada's two world titles are the clearest sign in this index that collaboration is not a function of scale. Toronto and Calgary lead their fields because of who they work with, and that is exactly what the index was built to show.
Daniel Llewellin, Strategic Partnerships Director, Global Research Partnerships
Since the index went live, universities in several countries have announced their results in their own words.
These collaborations are vital to delivering outstanding research and so I am incredibly proud that Queen Mary has been ranked 25th in the world for our research collaborations.
Professor Colin Bailey CBE, President, Queen Mary University of London Read the announcement
These results reinforce UEA's reputation as a research powerhouse, particularly in fields linked to food security, climate science, health, the arts, biodiversity and environmental change.
Professor Julian Blow, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research and Innovation, University of East Anglia Read the announcement
This means the university acts as a connecting link between research teams and communities from different parts of the world that would not otherwise meet without its participation.
Eva Kopecká, University spokeswoman, Comenius University Bratislava (translated from slovak) Read the TASR report (in Slovak)
I'm happy to see that our efforts to stimulate collaborations are recognized in this index
Professor Bas de Bruin, Scientific Director, Van 't Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Amsterdam Read the announcement
The biggest challenges facing society cannot be solved by any one institution, discipline or country acting alone. This analysis highlights the strength of Nottingham's global research partnerships and our ability to connect expertise, ideas and communities around the world.
Professor Tom Rodden, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research and Knowledge Exchange, University of Nottingham
Alongside the institutional rankings, the index named 26 Subject Award winners: individual academics, not universities, chosen for the collaborations their work anchors. Two of them work in Canada.
The index will be refreshed annually. Every university's full profile, partner list and subject positions are free to read at globalresearchpartnerships.com/rci.
The Research Collaboration Index is computed from the open global scholarly record for 2021 to 2025, 26.8 million co-authored research records across 1,195 universities in 81 countries, fractionally counted so that no output is double credited. Six pillars are scored: network influence, partner reach, partner country diversity, citation impact of joint work, sustained deep partnerships and international intensity. Subject indices rerun the same pillars within each of 26 fields. There are no surveys, no submissions and no votes, and the full methodology is published at globalresearchpartnerships.com/rci/methodology. The index is free, public and independent: no commercial relationship changes any position.
Global Research Partnerships is an independent research intelligence company based in London. The full results, all 26 subject rankings and every Subject Award citation are public at globalresearchpartnerships.com/rci. The index measures research collaboration standing, not reputation, teaching or overall quality. Data sources: the open scholarly record (OpenAlex) for publication and co-authorship data, with funding verified against funders' own award records, including the European Commission (CORDIS), the US National Institutes of Health and the Crossref Funder Registry. Data to June 2026. Photographs of the Subject Award winners and interview access are available on request.
Media contact: Daniel Llewellin, Global Research Partnerships, daniel@globalresearchpartnerships.com, globalresearchpartnerships.com/press
ENDS
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