China accounts for 7: This ranking is China's global leader, with the top 10 being natural | index | global
According to the website of the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong on June 12th, according to the latest "Nature Index", some less well-known universities outside of China are rapidly surpassing Western renowned universities including Oxford University, Cambridge University, Princeton University, and California Institute of Technology in terms of high-quality research.
According to reports, the UK's Nature magazine tracked the sources of research articles published in 82 of the world's most influential natural science journals. The latest ranking shows that out of the top 10 universities with the highest contribution share, 7 are from China.
Nature magazine stated that the index is based on scientific research results from February 1, 2022 to January 31 this year, using "simple, transparent, and up-to-date indicators to showcase high-quality research and collaboration.".
Recently, a research team at the University of Science and Technology of China has developed and integrated mobile robots, chemical workstations, intelligent operating systems, and scientific databases to develop data-driven "machine chemists". The picture shows a "machine chemist" conducting a chemical experiment on October 21, 2022.
Harvard University ranks first among all universities, followed closely by the University of Science and Technology of China. The University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, which has a close relationship with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, ranks third among all universities in terms of its "contribution share".
China's advantageous position continues to extend on the list, with Nanjing University, one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in China, and renowned Peking University and Tsinghua University ranking fourth, fifth, and sixth respectively. Stanford University ranks seventh, while Zhejiang University, renowned for its courses in engineering, computer science, and technology, ranks eighth. Next is the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Ranked 10th is Sun Yat sen University located in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province.
According to the Nature Index, Sun Yat sen University contributes 22% more to the global high-quality research results than Oxford University. This university is ranked 267th on the World University Rankings released by Quaquarelli Simmons Consulting in the UK.
Compared to QS rankings, some North American universities also have lower natural index rankings.
According to the report, looking at the "natural index" from 2015 to 2023, it can be found that China has been rapidly narrowing the gap with the United States in terms of high-quality research results.
In 2015, China's contribution to the publication of high-quality scientific research results, a landmark indicator of the Nature Index, was equivalent to 37% of the output of the United States. By 2020, this proportion had risen to 69%. On this year's list, China's contribution share has surpassed that of the United States.
Among the four disciplines tracked by the index, namely chemistry, Earth and Environment, Life Sciences, and Physics, Chinese universities are clearly in a leading position in chemistry.
In 2018, China's contribution in the field of chemistry surpassed that of the United States, and this year, the contribution of Chinese research institutions is more than twice that of American institutions.
In physics, the University of Science and Technology of China, Tsinghua University and the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences occupy the top three in the "natural index" ranking.
Professor Peng Li from Xiamen University said, "The scientific research level of Chinese universities has significantly improved. Due to the fast pace, there will naturally be more research results."
Professor Liu Zunfeng from Nankai University said that China's many achievements also stem from the emphasis on basic scientific research, but the range of this index is limited. He said, "This index is mainly composed of results from a few representative journals in various fields. It is more of a measurement indicator in the field of basic scientific research."
