2021 Research Leaders: Leading institutions in chemistry

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

Table criteria

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Position Institution Share 2019 Share 2020 Count 2020 Change in Adjusted Share* 2019–2020
1 Catholic University of Leuven (KU Leuven), Belgium 30.20 41.82 101 38.1% Increase
2 Ghent University (UGent), Belgium 27.13 27.80 63 2.2% Increase
3 Catholic University of Louvain (UCLouvain), Belgium 7.90 14.84 33 87.3% Increase
4 University of Antwerp (UA), Belgium 10.47 8.42 30 -19.8% Decrease
5 University of Liège (ULg), Belgium 6.19 7.48 23 20.5% Increase
6 Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Belgium 5.14 5.38 18 4.4% Increase
7 Free University of Brussels (VUB), Belgium 6.87 5.11 17 -25.8% Decrease
8 University of Mons (UMONS), Belgium 5.61 4.67 17 -17.0% Decrease
9 Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre (IMEC), Belgium 2.16 2.82 10 30.1% Increase
10 Flanders Institute for Biotechnology (VIB), Belgium 2.55 2.70 18 5.7% Increase
11 European Commission (EC), Belgium 1.42 2.39 9 68.1% Increase
12 University of Namur (UNamur), Belgium 2.78 2.14 9 -23.2% Decrease
13 Solvay S.A., Belgium 1.24 1.93 5 55.4% Increase
14 UCB S.A., Belgium 3.20 1.78 11 -44.6% Decrease
15 Hasselt University (UHasselt), Belgium 3.57 1.00 6 -72.2% Decrease
16 Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO) - Remote Sensing and Earth Observation Processes (TAP), Belgium 0.36 0.72 5 97.9% Increase
17 Umicore N.V., Belgium 0.31 0.67 3 115.9% Increase
18 Belgian Nuclear Research Centre (SCK•CEN), Belgium 0.40 0.50 1 24.6% Increase
19 European Theoretical Spectroscopy Facility (ETSF), Belgium 0.26 0.47 9 78.4% Increase
20 National Institute of Criminalistics and Criminology (INCC), Belgium 0.43 0.46 2 5.2% Increase
21 CER Groupe, Belgium 0.00 0.40 1 0.0% Increase
22 WEL Research Institute, Belgium 0.58 0.37 4 -37.2% Decrease
23 The European Magnetic Field Laboratory (EMFL), Belgium 0.26 0.28 14 8.1% Increase
24 Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ), Belgium 0.00 0.25 1 0.0% Increase
25 Chemtrix B.V., Belgium 0.11 0.10 5 -11.3% Decrease
26 FOx Biosystems NV, Belgium 0.00 0.09 1 0.0% Increase
27 Secoya Technologies SRL, Belgium 0.00 0.06 1 0.0% Increase
28 Belgian Federal Science Policy Office (BELSPO), Belgium 0.25 0.05 1 -81.9% Decrease
29 Argenx SE, Belgium 0.00 0.04 1 0.0% Increase
30 Materialise NV, Belgium 0.00 0.04 2 0.0% Increase

Footnote

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

  1. 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).
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. Nature Index data and methods are transparent and available under a creative commons licence at nature.com/nature-index/.
  5. 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.


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