Established in 1974, Concordia is a next-generation university in Montreal that continually reimagines higher education and is currently the top-ranked university in North America under 50 years old.
The university annually registers 50,000 students in its Faculty of Arts and Science, John Molson School of Business, Gina Cody School of Engineering and Computer Science, Faculty of Fine Arts and the School of Health, as well as in Concordia Continuing Education. Over 11,000 of those students are international, coming from more than 150 countries. In addition, the university embraces global collaboration with more than 180 academic and research partnerships in over 40 countries.
Concordia is home to three research institutes (Next-Generation Cities Institute, Applied AI Institute and Milieux Institute for Arts, Culture and Technology) and more than 25 research centres advancing key themes such as inclusion and social justice, health, digital arts and technologies, decarbonization and artificial intelligence. Interdisciplinary research is central to their work, uniting diverse fields to tackle complex societal issues. This is supported by Concordia’s investment in cutting-edge infrastructure—from smart building labs to quantum research facilities—and a commitment to collaboration that drives solutions to global challenges.
University research chairs include one Canada Excellence Research Chair in Smart, Sustainable and Resilient Communities and Cities (Ursula Eicker, Gina Cody School of Engineering and Computer Science) and 24 Canada Research Chairs across all faculties.
In 2022-23 (the most recent data available), Concordia secured $131.5 million in sponsored research income. This amount represents a nearly 200 per cent increase since 2014, and it earned the university its highest-ever research ranking in 2024. A significant development in Concordia research is the launch of Volt-Age in 2023—an electrification research program supported by $123 million in funding from the Canada First Research Excellence Fund.
"This means that we're modernizing old industries and stimulating the growth of new ones. By electrifying the transportation sector and our urban environments, we're creating a whole host of new business opportunities. It's a very exciting time right now, and my job is to keep spreading the message and pass the torch."
Karim Zaghib, CEO of Volt-Age and Professor, Chemical and Materials Engineering