Shanghai: UM still in the top 200!

For the fourth year running, the University of Montpellier has confirmed its place among the world's top 200 universities in the Shanghai ranking published on August 15. These excellent results demonstrate the University's ability to shine on the world stage, and to meet international demands for excellence in research and education.

IRD Olivier Dangles

" I am delighted to see the University of Montpellier once again ranked among the world's top universities. We are proud to be contributing to the global renown of French research, " declared Philippe Augé, President of the UM, the day after the release of the now famous Shanghai ranking published every summer. In the 2022 edition, for the fourth year running, the university ranks among the world's top 200 universities out of the 1,800 evaluated. This represents steady progress since 2016, when it was in the top 400.

A VERY POSITIVE OVERALL DYNAMIC

Although debated, the much-anticipated Shanghai ranking only serves to underline the UM's very positive overall dynamic, as the President was keen to point out: " These good results in the Shanghai ranking, as well as in all the other world rankings, reflect an ambitious policy of excellence pursued for several years, which relies on the talent and significant investment of our entire community, whom I would like to congratulate." Benefiting from exceptional resources allocated to research and training, thanks in part to the deployment of its I-SITE Excellence program, which will be extended in March 2022, the University and its partners are demonstrating that they are now major players in research and higher education in France.

SIX CRITERIA FOR SHANGHAI'S RANKING

The Shanghai Academic Ranking of World Universities has been published annually since 2003 by Jiao Tong University. This worldwide ranking list of higher education establishments evaluates some 1,800 institutions according to six quantitative criteria, including: number of publications in the scientific journals Nature and Science, number of citations for researchers, number of Nobel Prize winners and Fields Medalists, reputation of alumni and professors, etc. The Shanghai ranking lists the top 100 universities one by one. Beyond that, the ranking only mentions brackets: from 100 to 200; from 200 to 300; from 300 to 400 and from 400 to 500, the ultimate positioning.

WORLD LEADER IN ECOLOGY AND PROGRESS IN MANY DISCIPLINES

The UM had already achieved excellent results on July 19 when the Shanghai thematic rankings were published, once again reaching the podium for the fourth year running in ecology (3rd), but also in the world's top 50 for 6 themes: geography (47th), water resources (45th), food science (49th) or agriculture (17th), biotechnologies (35th).

Finally, it ranks in the world's top 100 in 5 fields: oceanography, earth and veterinary sciences, statistics and remote sensing. " These results also attest to the strength of the scientific forces present in our region, enabling us both to meet the major global challenges of the 21st century and to act more effectively on these essential issues," continues Philippe Augé.

FIRST UNIVERSITY ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

The Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Ranking for sustainable development goals is another ranking of which the University is proud. It ranks the UM first among French establishments for goals relating to health, well-being and the reduction of inequalities, and third for those relating to decent work, economic growth and quality of education.

The UM also moved up 16 places in the CWTS Leiden Ranking, based on scientific publications and their citations, to 151st place worldwide. In particular, it climbed to 16th place worldwide in the "Life & Earth Sciences" segment. These rankings should be taken for what they are worth: recognition of a collective effort and a fine spotlight on the UM's contribution to the influence of French research worldwide.