2021 Research Leaders: Leading academic institutions

The 2021 Research Leaders are based on Nature Index data from 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2020.

Table criteria

Region/country

Sector

Subject/journals

Position	Institution	Share 2019	Share 2020	Count 2020	Change in Adjusted Share* 2019–2020
1	University of Barcelona (UB), Spain	68.37	77.66	416	9.5%
2	Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM), Spain	74.08	70.67	417	-8.0%
3	University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Spain	50.68	60.61	302	15.3%
4	University of Valencia (UV), Spain	54.20	54.99	323	-2.2%
5	Complutense University of Madrid (UCM), Spain	31.72	41.55	221	26.3%
6	University of Santiago de Compostela (USC), Spain	35.99	36.21	178	-3.0%
7	Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB), Spain	26.09	24.91	259	-7.9%
8	University of Oviedo (UniOvi), Spain	20.40	24.54	163	16.0%
9	University of Granada (UGR), Spain	22.59	21.09	137	-10.0%
10	University of Zaragoza (Unizar), Spain	15.76	17.25	112	5.6%
11	University of Girona (UdG), Spain	16.73	16.66	52	-4.0%
12	University of Salamanca (USAL), Spain	10.27	15.62	48	46.6%
13	Rovira i Virgili University (URV), Spain	12.19	15.21	60	20.3%
14	Pompeu Fabra University (UPF), Spain	12.15	14.80	138	17.5%
15	Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV), Spain	14.32	14.77	65	-0.5%
16	Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC), Spain	11.92	14.50	92	17.3%
17	University of Murcia (UMU), Spain	10.96	14.30	41	25.9%
18	University of Seville (US), Spain	14.05	12.84	100	-11.9%
19	University of La Laguna (ULL), Spain	12.17	12.67	127	0.4%
20	University of Alcalá (UAH), Spain	10.53	10.05	43	-7.9%
21	Jaume I University (UJI), Spain	10.34	9.53	58	-11.2%
22	University of Valladolid (UVa), Spain	5.31	8.83	30	60.2%
23	University of Vigo (UVIGO), Spain	5.79	8.79	39	46.3%
24	University of the Balearic Islands (UIB), Spain	10.40	8.31	43	-23.0%
25	University of Castilla-La Mancha (UCLM), Spain	5.21	7.96	59	47.5%
26	University of Alicante (UA), Spain	6.36	7.74	53	17.3%
27	University of Málaga (UMA), Spain	7.72	7.61	42	-4.9%
28	Pablo de Olavide University (UPO), Spain	4.88	7.33	37	44.7%
29	University of Cantabria (UC), Spain	9.81	6.82	94	-33.0%
30	King Juan Carlos University (URJC), Spain	4.81	6.34	23	27.0%
31	University of Burgos (UBU), Spain	2.45	6.20	13	144.5%
32	Technical University of Madrid (UPM), Spain	9.71	5.37	37	-46.6%
33	University of Navarra (UNAV), Spain	7.32	5.27	30	-30.6%
34	University of A Coruña (UDC), Spain	6.17	5.22	18	-18.4%
35	University of La Rioja (UR), Spain	3.15	4.87	15	49.4%
36	Miguel Hernández University of Elche (UMH), Spain	7.05	4.81	21	-34.2%
37	Charles III University of Madrid (UC3M), Spain	2.88	4.65	23	55.5%
38	San Pablo CEU University (USPCEU), Spain	0.11	3.71	12	3,020.1%
39	University of Almeria (UAL), Spain	1.94	3.29	21	63.6%
40	University of Huelva (UHU), Spain	1.95	3.07	15	52.0%
41	University of Extremadura (UEx), Spain	1.96	2.61	14	28.2%
42	University of Cádiz (UCA), Spain	3.32	1.95	19	-43.5%
43	Technical University of Cartagena (UPCT), Spain	2.32	1.84	5	-23.6%
44	University of Lleida (UDL), Spain	2.41	1.77	8	-29.2%
45	University of Cordoba (UCO), Spain	1.49	1.30	12	-15.5%
46	University of León (ULE), Spain	0.73	1.20	5	58.7%
47	Ramon Llull University (URL), Spain	1.03	1.02	22	-5.1%
48	National University of Distance Education (UNED), Spain	0.88	1.02	4	11.7%
49	University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC), Spain	1.21	0.96	6	-23.6%
50	University of Jaén (UJU), Spain	1.61	0.63	7	-62.5%
51	Public University of Navarre (UPNA), Spain	1.51	0.61	12	-60.9%
52	Universitat Internacional de Catalunya (UIC), Spain	0.73	0.46	3	-39.9%
53	Barcelona Graduate School of Economics (Barcelona GSE), Spain	0.09	0.42	2	341.9%
54	European University of Madrid (UEM), Spain	0.67	0.38	19	-45.0%
55	CEU Cardinal Herrera University, Spain	0.43	0.37	3	-15.2%
56	University of Vic - Central University of Catalonia (UVic-UCC), Spain	0.35	0.34	16	-6.5%
57	Comillas Pontifical University (UPCO), Spain	0.18	0.30	2	58.3%
58	USC University Hospital Complex (CHUS), Spain	0.40	0.27	6	-34.4%
59	Naval Military Academy (ENM), Spain	0.00	0.25	1	0.0%
60	Open University of Catalonia (UOC), Spain	0.04	0.23	3	460.8%
61	IE University, Spain	0.00	0.20	1	0.0%
62	Francisco de Vitoria University (UFV), Spain	0.07	0.18	4	151.0%
63	Universidad Católica San Antonio de Murcia (UCAM), Spain	0.88	0.17	2	-81.8%
64	HM Hospitales, Spain	0.01	0.10	2	926.5%
65	INS Valerià Pujol, Spain	0.00	0.10	1	0.0%
66	Hospitales de Granada, Spain	0.00	0.08	4	2,021.3%
67	Institute of Secondary Education Maimónides (IES Maimónides), Spain	0.00	0.07	1	0.0%
68	Valencia Catholic University Saint Vincent Martyr (UCV), Spain	0.15	0.05	1	-70.8%
69	Fernando Pessoa Canarias University (UFPC), Spain	0.02	0.03	3	56.8%
70	Fundació Jesuïtes Educació, Spain	0.00	0.03	1	0.0%
71	Saint Louis University (SLU Madrid), Spain	0.02	0.01	1	-6.4%
71	University of Valencia Science Park, Spain	0.00	0.01	1	0.0%
72	European University of the Atlantic (UNEATLANTICO), Spain	0.00	0.01	2	0.0%
73	University of Deusto, Spain	0.00	0.01	1	0.0%

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.
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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.

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2021 Research Leaders: Leading academic institutions

Table criteria

Footnote