UPF remains among the best young universities in the world
Contra el genocidi i contra la violació dels drets humans, a Gaza i arreu del món
Peace comes when you talk to the person you most hate. And that’s where the courage of a leader comes.
Desmond Tutu (1931-2021), first recipient of an honorary doctorate from UPF
These words, spoken by Desmond Tutu, the first person ever to be awarded an honorary doctorate by UPF, are more applicable today than ever. The UPF condemns, and will always condemn, the use of violence to settle disputes. At UPF, we advocate approaching political or territorial conflicts based on dialogue and respect for all peoples and minorities.
As a university, we also want to show our support to the academic community in countries at war. Universities and scientific institutions are more necessary than ever in these regions. Access to education and the promotion of critical thinking, in the context of strong independent institutions, are the way to ensure the informed debate and reflection that can open the door to new avenues for finding solutions.
At UPF, we are aware of the university community’s concern for the human rights violations we are seeing in the conflicts around us. That is why on this website you will find information about campaigns and actions related to current conflicts, as well as opinion pieces and institutional statements. We also offer a dedicated e-mail address – [email protected] – to contact the university and let us know about your interests and concerns.
UPF remains among the best young universities in the world
Times Higher Education (THE), which produces one of the most prestigious and influential university rankings in the world, has published the 2016 edition of the ranking of young universities 150 Under 50, which includes the top one hundred and fifty institutions worldwide under 50 years old.
The results of the ranking were published within the framework of the Times Higher Education Young Universities Summit, which under the title “How disruptive young innovators challenge the traditional elites” was held from 5 to 7 April on UPF’s Ciutadella campus.
In this fifth edition of the list, the first to include 150 institutions (to date there had been 100) UPF is positioned as 15th best young university in the world, 11th in Europe and 2nd in Spain.
The universities of Catalonia, Spain and the world in the ranking
Other universities belonging to the Catalan university system listed in the classification are the Autonomous University of Barcelona (12th position), Rovira i Virgili (position 83) and the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (between 101 and 150).
State wise, the Autonomous University of Madrid is ranked 73rd, while the universities of Alcalá, the Basque Country, Carlos III, Polytechnic of Valencia and Vigo are in the 101-150 bracket.
The first five positions in the list, in order, are held by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (Switzerland), Nanyang Technological University (Singapore), the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Hong Kong), the University of Maastricht (Netherlands) and Pohang University of Science and Technology (South Korea).
The countries with the most universities in the ranking are United Kingdom (25), followed by Australia (19) France (10) and Spain (10). In the top 15 there are eleven European and four Asian institutions, whereas there are none from the United States.
Within the framework of the meeting of young universities, the editor of the THE ranking, Phil Baty, highlighted the good performance of the Catalan universities: ”Two institutions from Barcelona have done very, very well and of course Pompeu Fabra University, which is hosting the summit this week, and the Autonomous University of Barcelona. They stand out in Spain but are also very well positioned in the world”.
UPF score in the various indicators
UPF, which has obtained an overall score 54.6 points, stands out especially for Impact of citations (the extent to which an institution’s publications are referenced by other academics) with 90 points; and International outlook (international students and faculty that the university is capable of attracting and the extent to which the institution publishes articles with other foreign universities) with 63.3 points. In the remaining three indicators, it scores 37.1 in Teaching; 37.2 Revenue from industry, and 35.4 Research.
Jaume Casals, rector of Pompeu Fabra University, explained some of the keys to the success of the institution he heads: “A university is made especially on the basis of good teacher selection. We did this 25 years ago and we have tried to maintain it, and that gives us very good results”. In this sense, the rector said that a university is based on the capacity for work, innovation, teaching and research contributed by its teachers.
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Libraries Without Borders
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