Research and Development

Home to more than 150 leading research centres, globally renowned researchers and generous government incentives, there is no better place to conduct research and development (R&D) than Waterloo.

With a unique “inventor owned” intellectual property policy at the renowned University of Waterloo, which allows students and researchers to own their own ideas, we are one of the most patent intensive communities in the world. There are 15 patents granted per 10,000 residents - 11 times the national average.

Click the links below to learn more about some of our leading research and development facilities/centres:

• Waterloo Centre for Automotive Research (WatCAR) has 125 faculty leading the largest university-based automotive research centre focused on connected and autonomous vehicles, light weighting, fabrication, software, data and more
• The Institute for Quantum Computing (IQC) harnesses the quantum laws of nature to develop powerful new technologies and drive future economies
• The David Johnston Research + Technology Park provides a powerfully supportive base for radical, high impact research. More than 70% of the world's GDP runs on software created by companies such as OpenText and SAP who are located in R + T Park
• University of Waterloo’s Artificial Intelligence Institute delivering effective AI innovation for hundreds and thousands of business across Canada through new technologies in medical care, assistive devices, environmental monitroing, adaptive robotics, and autonomous driving

We offer a unique environment of collaboration where R&D, academic institutions and industry form a powerful innovation ecosystem. For a full list of our R&D resources, view our Industry Map and Support Organizations or download our collaborative ecosystem feature sheet.

Waterloo’s research assets also benefit from competitive cost advantages through tax credits, grants and other incentives. Download our R&D cost advantage infographic for more information