press release
Published: 04 July 2024

Surrey’s research impact recognised with global and UK rankings boost

Data from the 2024 Leiden Ranking has found that the University of Surrey is among the world's 'heavy hitters' when it comes to producing quality research.  

Data from the 2024 Leiden Ranking has found that the University of Surrey is among the world's 'heavy hitters' when it comes to producing quality research.  

The renowned global research index finds that the University of Surrey’s proportion of research publications in the top 1% has significantly improved, ranking 61st globally and 13th in the UK. Leiden’s top 1% metric examines how many of a university’s research publications are among the top 1% most frequently cited in their specific field and year. This provides an independent measure of the significance and relevance of Surrey’s research to others in the scientific community. 

The Leiden Ranking is an authoritative annual index that assesses 1,500 universities worldwide based on their research performance. Unlike other rankings, it focuses solely on bibliometric indicators, such as publication and citation data from the Web of Science database. 

The Ranking also found that the proportion of Surrey's research in the top 10% has improved by 14% – placing Surrey 96th in the world and 18th in the UK – cementing Surrey’s role as a globally connected, research-intensive university. 

This excellent result is yet another example of our still young University being a strong player on the global research stage.

Research drives real-world impact, and that impact is enhanced by international collaboration, as measured by these rankings. We are deeply committed to delivering outstanding research and innovation that contributes to tackling the grand challenges facing society and helps transform the world for the better. These results are a gratifying measure of the impact we’re already having and will continue to strive to deliver. Professor Lisa Collins, Pro Vice Chancellor, Research and Innovation

The data also showed that 10% of Surrey's publications were co-authored by industry partners – ranking it 8th in the UK for this important measure of industrial collaboration and commercial impact.  

I am incredibly proud to lead a University with so many talented researchers who have repeatedly shown themselves to be passionate about their discipline and innovative and collaborative in their approach. The Leiden Rankings are a welcome independent recognition of this excellence.

I'm particularly pleased to see that the proportion of industry publications remains one of the highest in the country – once again emphasising the critical importance of academic research to driving commercial innovation and supporting economic growth. Professor Lu, Max, President and Vice-Chancellor

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