June 19, 2026

QS Quacquarelli Symonds have released their annual QS World University Rankings. Universities are ranked using a composite score derived from nine indicators including academic reputation, citations per faculty, and faculty–student ratio. McGill University (#30) remained Canada’s top university, followed by the University of Toronto (#32), the University of British Columbia (#45), and the University of Alberta (#96). QS Quacquarelli Symonds said that 66% of Canada’s universities dropped in their rankings relative to last year, while regions like Mainland China, Hong Kong SAR, and Australia saw the majority of their universities rise in their rankings.

Brain Canada recently announced that it is providing over $10.5M in funding spread across four platforms focused on neurological disease, mental illness, and childhood brain conditions. The WONDER platform, co-led by University of Calgary researcher Dr Paul Arnold, will use part of this funding to support personalized approaches to care for children with conditions like autism, ADHD, and cerebral palsy. University of Toronto researchers will continue their research on epilepsy and Parkinson’s disease through the Centre for Neurotechnological Innovation to Application (CRANIA). Data from CRANIA will be shared with hospital networks and researchers from universities including Dalhousie University. Funding for Canada’s National Ultra-High Field MRI Platform, located at Western University, will be used to support operations and to maintain the platform’s open-science framework.

U15 Canada has released updated guidance on the topic of safeguarding research at institutions. The updates were prompted by the changes to the Government of Canada’s policies governing research security and the federal Defence Industrial Strategy. The guide includes outcomes and best practices across five areas: Governance and Risk Frameworks; Due Diligence, Risk Assessment and Management; Communication, Education and Knowledge Sharing; Network and Device Security; and Research Security and Campus Security Services. “Today’s updated guidance draws on the lessons and best practices that have been developed at leading research universities over recent years,” explained U15 CEO Robert Asselin. U15 will continue to update the document as the security landscape evolves.

The kihci-okāwīmāw askiy Knowledge Centre at the University of Saskatchewan and the Indigenous Kinship Circle (IKC) have launched the Indigenous Grasslands Stewardship and Knowledge Exchange Network. This network has received $2.6M from the Weston Family Prairie Grasslands Initiative, which will support it until 2030. The network focuses on Indigenous-led conservation that will preserve biodiversity. “The project supports First Nations land stewards, harvesters, Elders, youth, and students, while advancing Indigenous Science and Traditional Ecological Knowledge in grassland conservation,” said kihci-okāwīmāw askiy Knowledge Centre at USask Director Candice Pete-Cardoso.

In a recent University World News article, five authors argue that it is time to let go of the concept of an “Early Career Researcher” (ECR). The authors argues that the term is loaded with various meanings that may not reflect reality. They explain that by this point in their careers, researchers are already “mature.” Using the term “ECR” supports the idea that these researchers are in a temporary phase while waiting for the next steps in their careers. Additionally, write the authors, the ECR label encourages competition rather than collaboration between researchers. In conclusion, the authors call for a move away from labelling researchers and to instead focus on cultivating decent working conditions for all academics.

A Bishop’s University professor has been awarded $1.4M in funding from Public Safety Canada’s Indigenous Community Corrections Initiative to support a project focused on Indigenous community-led reintegration for people who have experienced federal incarceration. Bishop’s Professor and Centre for Community Engaged Justices founding director Dr Vicki Chartrand will conduct research that supports Indigenous communities and organizations as they create and apply reintegration processes. The project will document developed practices, identify culturally grounded healing pathways, and develop tools to strengthen reintegration initiatives. “This project is about learning from [existing approaches], sharing that knowledge, and supporting Indigenous communities in advancing their own visions of healing, reintegration, and community well-being,” said Chartrand.

Georgian College, the Georgian College Student Association, and shared living platform Sparrow are collaborating to connect students with Barrie homeowners who have available spare accommodations. Students and homeowners are matched based on their lifestyles and preferences. If they opt to proceed, the individuals in these matches will be offered written homeshare agreements, tenant insurance, and support from a Sparrow housing coordinator. “This partnership with Sparrow adds an innovative off-campus housing option for our students while helping unlock more housing opportunities in the Barrie community,” explained Georgian Student Transition and Engagement Manager Hilary Villneff. Sparrow expects its first matches to be available in time for the beginning of the Fall term.

HEC Montréal announced the Circle of Alliance with First Peoples this week, a new initiative designed to strengthen teaching, research, and knowledge sharing related to Indigenous realities. The initiative builds on work performed in partnership with First Peoples in First Nations Executive Education, which launched in 2021. HEC Montréal Full Professor Marine Agogué, the co-leader of the initiative, explained that the circle was inspired by a “Two-Eyed Seeing” approach that combines Indigenous knowledge and Western science. “The Circle is intended to serve as a knowledge-sharing hub for the entire student body, staff, faculty, and beyond,” said Agogué.

In a recent opinion piece for University Business, Robert K Vischer (University of St Thomas) argues that postsecondary institutions should strive to help students answer deeper questions than those related to career goals. Students should be supported in developing human skills such as adaptability, collaboration, and communication, writes the author, by engaging with a variety of life experiences and perspectives. Vischer writes that students who engage in learning how their interests fit together develop the skills to navigate deep questions. “At their best, universities are in the business of transformation, helping develop students’ whole selves—body, mind, spirit—and cultivating the virtues necessary not only to succeed professionally, but to thrive as people,” explains Vischer.

The College of Piping in Prince Edward Island has seen a surge in its enrolment, with the piping program growing 60% last year. In an interview with CBC, College of Piping Executive Director James MacHattie attributed the rise in interest to both a desire to “get off screens” and to “[get] out and do things.” In response to demand, the college has added another bagpipes instructor to its staff. In addition to its piping program, the college’s drums and highland dance offerings have also experienced an increase in interest.