2018 Research Leaders: Leading academic institutions in physical sciences

The 2018 Research Leaders are based on Nature Index data from 1 January 2017 to 31 December 2017.

Table criteria

Region/country

Sector

Subject/journals

Position	Institution	Share 2016	Share 2017	Count 2017	Change in Adjusted Share* 2016–2017
1	Sorbonne University, France	53.44	50.84	561	-6.0%
2	University of Paris-Saclay, France	55.81	46.10	430	-18.4%
3	Grenoble Alpes University (UGA), France	42.70	43.95	338	1.7%
4	Université PSL, France	22.19	24.51	287	9.2%
5	University of Lyon, France	25.12	22.12	212	-13.0%
6	Paris Cité University, France	21.24	18.69	331	-13.0%
7	University of Strasbourg, France	15.35	14.63	166	-5.8%
8	Aix-Marseille University (AMU), France	15.36	12.90	222	-17.0%
9	University of Toulouse, France	13.37	11.67	110	-13.7%
10	National Institute of Applied Sciences (INSA), France	14.32	10.81	118	-25.4%
11	University of Bordeaux, France	8.72	9.93	67	12.5%
12	École Polytechnique, France	9.83	8.69	172	-12.6%
13	University of Montpellier, France	10.02	8.48	59	-16.4%
14	Collège de France, France	4.42	6.14	68	37.2%
15	University of Lorraine (UL), France	5.60	5.86	31	3.4%
16	University of Savoy (USMB), France	4.23	4.96	171	16.0%
17	University of Lille Nord de France, France	5.96	4.75	34	-21.2%
18	University Clermont Auvergne (UCA), France	1.98	3.67	160	83.4%
19	University of Toulon (UTLN), France	2.29	3.10	31	34.1%
20	Institut Mines-Télécom (IMT), France	2.88	2.96	42	1.6%
21	University Institute of France (IUF), France	1.84	2.74	31	47.3%
22	University of Technology of Belfort-Montbéliard (UTBM), France	1.40	2.65	20	87.4%
23	Université Sorbonne Paris-Nord, France	1.40	2.56	29	81.3%
24	Centrale Méditerranée, France	3.26	2.45	16	-25.7%
25	Le Mans University, France	1.85	2.39	14	27.6%
26	University of Nantes, France	0.98	2.34	50	135.2%
27	University of Rennes 1, France	2.89	2.21	32	-24.4%
28	Higher Institute for Electronics and Digital Training (ISEN), France	1.04	2.12	13	100.8%
29	University of Burgundy, France	1.35	2.01	21	47.0%
30	Caen University (UNICAEN), France	1.14	1.83	17	58.3%
31	University of Limoges (ULIM), France	1.44	1.63	7	11.8%
32	University of Rouen, France	0.91	1.55	17	68.3%
33	Institut Polytechnique de Bordeaux (Bordeaux INP), France	2.22	1.44	21	-35.7%
34	CY Cergy Paris University, France	1.09	1.41	25	27.6%
35	University of Franche-Comté (UFC), France	0.43	1.32	15	206.7%
36	HESAM Université, France	1.27	1.30	82	0.7%
37	Centrale Lille, France	1.65	1.28	23	-23.1%
38	SIGMA Clermont, France	0.61	1.28	10	107.1%
39	University of Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ), France	1.17	1.27	18	7.3%
40	Lille Catholic University (Catho), France	1.30	1.19	21	-9.1%
41	SUPMICROTECH-ENSMM, France	0.41	1.12	11	172.4%
42	University of Tours (UFR), France	1.32	1.03	10	-23.5%
43	University of Angers, France	0.05	0.90	4	1,864.5%
44	Gustave Eiffel University, France	0.67	0.90	9	33.2%
45	University of Poitiers, France	1.29	0.88	5	-33.1%
46	Superior National School of Advanced Techniques (ENSTA ParisTech), France	0.71	0.87	6	22.3%
47	University of Évry-Val d'Essonne (UEVE), France	0.56	0.87	7	53.7%
48	University of Haute-Alsace (UHA), France	0.62	0.77	59	22.8%
49	Université de La Réunion, France	0.27	0.75	23	179.4%
50	Sustainable Design School (SDS), France	0.86	0.69	75	-20.8%
50	National School of Fine Arts at the Villa Arson, France	0.86	0.69	75	-20.8%
50	École Supérieure de Danse de Cannes Rosella Hightower, France	0.86	0.69	75	-20.8%
50	EDHEC Business School, France	0.86	0.69	75	-20.8%
50	École Supérieure de Réalisation Audiovisuelle (ESRA), France	0.86	0.69	75	-20.8%
51	Bretagne Loire University, France	0.14	0.60	33	337.5%
52	Paris-Est Créteil University (UPEC), France	0.54	0.55	5	0.8%
53	École Nationale Supérieure de Chimie de Montpellier (ENSCM), France	0.50	0.53	14	4.8%
54	École Centrale Lyon, France	1.34	0.49	8	-63.7%
55	École des Ponts ParisTech (ENPC), France	0.41	0.47	5	14.6%
56	University of Le Havre, France	0.48	0.47	11	-4.1%
57	École Supérieure de Chimie Physique Électronique de Lyon or (CPE Lyon), France	1.15	0.39	6	-66.3%
58	Institut Supérieur de l'Aéronautique et de l'Espace (ISAE-SUPAERO), France	1.29	0.33	3	-74.5%
59	University of Western Brittany (UBO), France	0.07	0.33	3	391.1%
60	University of Paris Ouest (Paris 10), France	0.04	0.32	3	665.5%
61	École Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture de Normandie (ENSA Normandie), France	0.08	0.32	10	300.4%
62	University of Pau and Pays de l'Adour (UPPA), France	0.15	0.25	7	62.4%
63	University of Picardie Jules Verne (UPJV), France	0.48	0.25	7	-48.8%
64	University of South Brittany (UBS), France	0.00	0.24	9	0.0%
65	Burgundy School of Business, France	0.13	0.23	11	73.7%
66	French School of Public Health (EHESP), France	0.02	0.21	17	1,196.2%
67	Paris Institute of Political Studies (Sciences Po), France	0.02	0.19	16	1,081.9%
67	National Institute for Oriental Languages and Civilizations (INALCO), France	0.02	0.19	16	1,081.9%
67	Université Sorbonne Nouvelle - Paris 3, France	0.02	0.19	16	1,081.9%
68	Nantes Atlantic College of Veterinary Medicine, Food Science and Engineering (Oniris), France	0.00	0.18	2	0.0%
69	Supméca - School of Mechanical Engineering, France	0.00	0.17	1	0.0%
70	University of Orléans, France	0.62	0.17	7	-73.4%
71	National School for Water and Environmental Engineering of Strasbourg (ENGEES), France	0.55	0.14	2	-74.8%
72	University of Technology of Troyes (UTT), France	0.77	0.14	1	-82.2%
73	Montpellier SupAgro, France	0.00	0.11	1	0.0%
74	École Nationale Supérieure de Chimie de Rennes (ENSCR), France	0.45	0.10	3	-78.2%
75	ECE Paris, France	0.00	0.10	1	0.0%
76	École Nationale d'Ingénieurs de Brest (ENIB), France	0.00	0.09	3	0.0%
77	Artois University, France	0.09	0.06	2	-32.0%
78	University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne (URCA), France	0.85	0.04	2	-95.2%
79	University of the French West Indies (UAG), France	0.06	0.03	1	-48.5%
80	École Nationale Supérieure Louis-Lumière (ENS Louis-Lumière), France	0.00	0.02	1	0.0%
80	Pôle d’Enseignement Supérieur de la Musique Seine-Saint-Denis Île-de-France (Pôle Sup' 93), France	0.00	0.02	1	0.0%
80	University of Vincennes in Saint-Denis (Paris 8), France	0.00	0.02	1	0.0%
81	École Nationale d'Ingénieurs de Saint-Etienne (ENISE), France	0.00	0.02	1	0.0%
81	École Nationale des Travaux Publics de l'État (ENTPE), France	0.00	0.02	1	0.0%
82	University of Rennes 2, France	0.00	0.02	2	0.0%
83	University of La Rochelle, France	0.00	0.02	1	0.0%
84	Audencia Nantes School of Management, France	0.00	0.01	1	0.0%
84	Institut National Supérieur des Sciences Agronomiques, Agroalimentaires, Horticoles et du Paysage (Agrocampus Ouest), France	0.00	0.01	1	0.0%
84	École Centrale de Nantes (EC Nantes), France	0.00	0.01	2	0.0%
84	École Supérieure d’Agricultures (ESA), France	0.00	0.01	1	0.0%
85	École Nationale Supérieure d'Architecture de Clermont Ferrand (ENSACF), France	0.00	0.01	3	0.0%
86	University of Avignon, France	0.04	0.00	1	-94.2%

Each year, the Nature Index publishes tables based on counts of high-quality research outputs in the previous calendar year. Users please note:

The data behind the tables are based on a relatively small proportion of total research papers, they cover the natural sciences and health sciences only and outputs are non-normalized (that is, they don’t reflect the size of the country or institution, or its overall research output).
The Nature Index is one indicator of institutional research performance. The metrics of Count and Share used to order Nature Index listings are based on an institution’s or country’s publication output in 145 natural-science and health-science journals. The journals were selected on reputation by an independent panel of leading scientists in their fields. The list is reviewed periodically and journals may be removed or added. Articles from eLife were no longer included in the Nature Index from 2023 after the journal changed its publishing model.
Nature Index recognizes that many other factors must be taken into account when considering research quality and institutional performance; Nature Index metrics alone should not be used to assess institutions or individuals.
Nature Index data and methods are transparent and available under a creative commons licence at nature.com/nature-index/.
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

The Nature Index database undergoes regular updating, corrections, adjustment of institutional hierarchies, and removal of retracted papers and thus the live website can differ from the frozen research leaders.

Numerical information only is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

2018 Research Leaders: Leading academic institutions in physical sciences

Table criteria

Footnote