The Times Higher Education hasranked the University of Waterloo as the top "tech challenger" university in Canada. Its analysis shines a light on institutions that have thought outside the box on research collaboration and funding.
In the Times Higher Education's World University Rankings, the 55 technology challengers have innovation at the core of their strategy, strong industry links and research that excels in technological areas like engineering.
In the article discussing the tech challenger rankings, the Waterloo's co-op system is described as "one of the most successful programmes in the world for students spending part of their degree working in industry, using an approach known in Canada as cooperative education."
George Dixon, the University of Waterloo’s vice-president for research, is quoted as saying that co-op is far from being just about an experiential way of learning for students – it is also a key that unlocks the commercial world to the university in many other ways.
“When you have students who are going out to [thousands of] different employers…you have got the basis for a door opener with the private sector right there,” said Dixon. “Nobody likes a cold call so any opportunity you get to get a foot in the door is an opportunity to grow."
There are 12 universities from North America on the tech challenger list – eight in the US and four in Canada.