Investments in imaging research generate returns

A commissioned study by RTI International shows that investments in medical imaging research at four Canadian universities generated a 28% return on investment. The study — supported by the Canada Foundation for Innovation and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research —examined outcomes from $387 million in investments in facilities, equipment and research programs at McGill Univ, Univ of Toronto, Univ of British Columbia and Western Univ. It then conducted an in-depth economic analysis on an abstracted portfolio of $45 million invested between 2000 and 2011. The study notes that without the CFI and CIHR investments, many leading imaging researchers would not have stayed or been attracted to work Canada and the country would not have the competitive advantage it now enjoys in imaging technologies. One technology supported at Western Univ — computed tomography perfusion — is now used in hospitals worldwide. The study was funded in response to policy commitments to me