Sheridan named Canada's top college for AI research partnerships

Sheridan has solidified its reputation as a national leader in applied artificial intelligence (AI) research, earning the top spot across Canada for AI research partnerships and the second spot for completed AI research projects in Research Infosource Inc.’s annual summary, Canada's Top 50 Research Colleges. This is the 13th year a list has been released and reflects applied research and innovation activity from the 2023-2024 fiscal year.

These results mark the first time Research Infosource has included AI research categories across both colleges and universities — and Sheridan’s strong showing underscores its leadership in advancing ethical, applied and industry-connected AI innovation.

"We’re incredibly proud that Sheridan is being recognized as Canada’s top college for AI research and innovation,” said Rajan Sandhu, Interim President and Vice Chancellor at Sheridan. “Sheridan isn’t just responding to the rise of AI — we’re leading it. Grounded in the belief of serving people first, we’re helping to shape how AI is designed, implemented and governed in ways that strengthen communities, industries and society as a whole across Canada.”

“We're helping to shape how AI is designed, implemented and governed in ways that strengthen communities, industries and society as a whole across Canada.”

– Rajan Sandhu, Sheridan Interim President and Vice Chancellor

In addition to its leadership in AI research and innovation, Sheridan also climbed one spot to fourth place provincially among Ontario’s research colleges, and climbed one spot to 11th nationally. This continued upward movement signals Sheridan’s growing research capacity and sustained commitment to innovation, even amid challenging conditions for the postsecondary sector.

“These rankings are an affirmation of the incredible work happening in Sheridan’s research and innovation ecosystem,” said Dr. Vicki Mowat, Dean of Research at Sheridan. “At Sheridan, we’re committed to advancing research that not only drives innovation but also delivers tangible benefits to our partners, communities and the broader society. These results affirm the impact of our collaborative, applied research model — one that keeps people at the heart of technological progress.”

In addition, Sheridan continues to excel in fostering a vibrant culture of collaboration and experiential learning. The college ranks among the top three institutions in Canada for both research partnerships and student research activity, demonstrating its strong emphasis on hands-on, industry-connected opportunities that prepare students for success in the workforce. Through these experiences, students develop in-demand skills, build professional networks, and gain practical expertise that can lead directly to meaningful employment and career growth after graduation. This achievement reflects Sheridan’s commitment to embedding research within the student experience while strengthening partnerships that create real-world impact across sectors.

Recent research project highlights include:

Smart tech for breast cancer recovery

A key part of McMaster University-led project StrongArms-Cancer, Generator at Sheridan’s Centre for Intelligent Manufacturing and Centre for Applied AI developed and demonstrated a digital health system to help breast cancer survivors manage upper extremity complications, an issue that often goes undetected until it becomes serious. The accessible self-care tool combines wearable tech, smart sensors and a mobile app that allows users to view trends over time, receive management suggestions and access rehab resources directly through their smartphones or tablets. Now in its testing phase at School of Rehabilitation Science at McMaster, StrongArms-Cancer is on track to become a powerful healthcare tool that empowers survivors and redefines how post-cancer recovery is managed.

Using virtual reality to drive climate action in Oakville

Exploring how virtual reality (VR) could foster empathy and inspire climate action in the Halton Region, Generator at Sheridan’s Screen Industries Research and Training Centre (SIRT) and community partner Oakville Community Foundation (OCF) developed a VR prototype experience that placed users directly inside a future Oakville affected by climate change. The experience focused on visual storytelling and simple hands-on choices, like reducing food waste or conserving water, to show how small actions can lead to real change. The project confirmed that the immersive format made climate issues feel more personal and more urgent — empowering users to act and resulting in the exploration of how this prototype could be used to address numerous other social challenges.

Turning retail data into strategy with AI

Generator at Sheridan’s Centre for Applied AI and Faculty of Applied Science and Technology partnered with Encore Market Management to advance how retailers turn complex data into actionable intelligence. Using advanced machine learning models to analyze sales and market data, the project uncovered hidden patterns in consumer behaviour and product performance. Through tools like association rule mining and predictive modelling, the research team created an interactive dashboard that helps retailers optimize promotions, product placement, and forecast future trends — allowing for smarter, more sustainable and more efficient strategies to be implemented across Canada’s retail sector.

About Generator at Sheridan

Generator at Sheridan is where purpose and passion unite the extraordinary research, innovation and entrepreneurship undertaken by Sheridan’s faculty, staff and students, working across disciplines and sectors, to drive meaningful impact for an ever-changing world. In addition to our exceptional faculty-led research, Sheridan also boasts five renowned research and entrepreneurship centres that provide innovation supports to community, industry and government partners. Learn more at sheridancollege.ca/generator.

About Research Infosource

Research Infosource is widely acknowledged as a respected and leading source of ranking information on research universities, hospitals, colleges, and companies that is used and followed by the research and innovation community, opinion and policy leaders in the government, research, corporate, higher education and non-profit sectors.