Manchester is second in Western Europe as research quality grows

01 Aug 2016

University ranked second in Western Europe and 18th in the world in a new table of research quality growth

The Nature Index 2016 Rising Stars supplement identifies the countries and institutions showing the most significant growth in high-quality research publications, using the Nature Index, which tracks the research of more than 8,000 global institutions.

Manchester, despite having a high quality research base already, dramatically increased its score last year, propelling it to second in Western Europe, behind only Oxford. This also placed it 18th in the world - alongside eight other UK institutions.

The top 100 most improved institutions in the index between 2012 and 2015 are ranked by the increase in their contribution to 68 high-quality journals.

Manchester has 25 Nobel Prize winners among current and former staff and students, including three currently working at the University. Discoveries such as graphene – which earned its discoverers the Nobel Prize for Physics in 2010 complement areas of research focus including: cancer, industrial biotechnology, energy, global inequalities and advanced materials.

Professor Luke Georghiou, Vice-President for Research and Innovation at The University of Manchester, said: “This news is testament to the talented staff and students who work on research at Manchester and are consistently successful in getting their results published in the world’s leading journals.

“The University strives to give these gifted researchers the best environment and opportunities to carry out their work and deliver results that have a significant impact on our understanding of the world around us.”

First launched in November 2014, the Nature Index database tracks the author affiliations of research articles published in a group of 68 high-quality natural science journals, which have been selected by independent panels of active scientists.

Responses from over 2,800 individuals to a large scale survey were used to validate the selections. Springer Nature estimates that these 68 journals account for nearly 30% of total citations to natural science journals.

David Swinbanks, Founder of the Nature Index, said: “With four years of data already behind it, the Nature Index is an increasingly powerful tool to assess research performance. By identifying these rising stars, we’re given an insight into which new emerging institutions are likely to play a role in addressing some of the globe’s most pressing challenges. Providing researchers and institutions with this data, through the index’s freely accessible website, is another example of how Nature Research is working to meet the scientific community’s needs.”

More information about the Nature Index is available at natureindex.com