Spectacular rise for the UGR in the latest ARWU ranking

Fri, 09/08/2017 - 11:14
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17/08/2016
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The latest Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) reaffirms the University of Granada’s position as a leading global institution

  • The 2016 Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) has placed the University of Granada 247th in the world

  • This puts the University of Granada second in Spain after the University of Barcelona

  • The UGR is the only University from the south of Spain to appear in the 2016 ARWU

The University of Granada has climbed 100 places in the 2016 edition of the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU), earning a place among the top 300 institutions in the world. The UGR shot up the rankings this year to become the second-highest ranked university in Spain and the 247th in the world, confirming its position as a leading global institution.

 

Evolution of UGR's performance in ARWU since 2003. Source: Shanghai Ranking

Evolution of UGR's performance in ARWU since 2003. Source: Shanghai Ranking

 

 

At a national level, the University of Granada is second only to the University of Barcelona, overtaking important Spanish institutions such as the Complutense University of Madrid, the Autonomous University of Madrid, the University of Valencia and the Autonomous University of Barcelona. Moreover, the UGR is the only university from the south of Spain to appear in this year’s ARWU.

In 2015, the University of Granada was ranked among the top 300-400 institutions in the world, but has now been placed 247th in the world, reaffirming its upward moving trend over recent years. In total, the UGR has climbed over 200 positions in the ARWU between 2009 and 2016.

This year, the UGR is one of twelve Spanish universities to earn a spot among the top 500 global institutions that make up this prestigious international ranking. It has climbed more than any other Spanish institution and has successfully reached second place among its Spanish counterparts. It is worth mentioning that this significant achievement has been secured in the midst of an especially challenging time for the University, during which it has had to cope under the strains of statewide budget cuts to research and development (R&D) funding. The challenges posed by the current socio-economic environment have, in many ways, been even more pressing for the UGR than for the other Spanish universities featuring in the ARWU 2016.

This achievement has been made possible thanks to the University’s firm commitment to investing in cutting-edge research over the last ten years. Through this determined strategic bid, the UGR has created world-class research institutes and centres that are now at the forefront of their fields internationally, such as the Research Centre for Information and Communications Technology (CITIC-UGR); the Mind, Brain and Behaviour Research Centre (CIMCYC-UGR); The Andalusian Inter-University Institute for Earth System Research (IISTA-CEAMA); the UGR Mathematics Institute (IEMath-UGR); the UGR Sport and Health Institute (IMUDS); and the Bio-Health Research Institute (IBS-Granada). The UGR has also placed considerable emphasis on attracting talent, enabling researchers to make the most of diverse funding opportunities.

The University has reaped the benefits of this investment, becoming a powerhouse for pioneering, top-quality research that has significant international impact, especially in the areas of mathematics and computer science. In the ARWU broad subject field of Engineering/Technology and Computer Science, the UGR has claimed 45th position in the world and 1st place in Spain in 2016.

Over the coming years, the UGR will remain firmly committed to maintaining its privileged position in these academic rankings, rolling-out and consolidating new strategic plans to attract talent through innovative programmes, such as the UGR Fellows Programme, which aims to attract highly-skilled researchers working in areas aligned with the European Research Council; the Doctoral Research Assistant Programme, designed to strengthen leading research areas at the UGR; and the Units of Excellence Programme, designed to create cutting-edge research entities capable of securing national seals of quality approval.