2021 Research Leaders: Leading institutions in physical sciences

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	Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), Russia	111.55	118.35	570	-1.4%
2	Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU), Russia	22.06	29.34	245	23.6%
3	National Research Center Kurchatov Institute (NRCKI), Russia	22.10	22.06	252	-7.2%
4	Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology - State University (MIPT), Russia	12.42	19.72	170	47.7%
5	Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR), Russia	15.36	15.65	206	-5.2%
6	ITMO National Research University (ITMO University), Russia	12.26	14.27	43	8.2%
7	Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology (Skoltech), Russia	5.57	10.42	46	74.0%
8	Saint Petersburg State University (SPbU), Russia	9.59	10.14	65	-1.7%
9	Novosibirsk State University (NSU), Russia	6.99	6.74	146	-10.3%
10	Ural Federal University (UrFU), Russia	6.91	5.11	25	-31.2%
11	Bauman Moscow State Technical University (BMSTU), Russia	0.33	4.59	8	1,193.7%
12	Tomsk State University (TSU), Russia	3.87	4.53	107	8.9%
13	National Research Nuclear University MEPhI (Moscow Engineering Physics Institute), Russia	4.43	4.06	158	-14.9%
14	National Research University Higher School of Economics (HSE), Russia	2.52	3.95	60	45.5%
15	Kazan Federal University (KFU), Russia	5.00	3.61	16	-32.9%
16	Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University (SPbPU), Russia	0.93	3.05	62	206.5%
17	Tomsk State University of Control Systems and Radioelectronics (TUSUR), Russia	2.89	2.98	12	-3.9%
18	Tomsk Polytechnic University (TPU), Russia	4.07	2.67	100	-39.1%
19	National University of Science and Technology (MISIS), Russia	5.45	2.65	60	-54.7%
20	Saratov State University (SGU), Russia	1.06	2.30	11	102.3%
21	Russian Quantum Center (RQC), Russia	3.02	2.20	16	-32.5%
22	P.G. Demidov Yaroslavl State University, Russia	0.64	2.00	2	188.5%
23	Peoples Friendship University of Russia (PFUR), Russia	0.25	1.53	7	469.8%
24	Southern Federal University (SFedU), Russia	0.63	1.44	8	114.4%
25	Tomsk State Pedagogical University (TSPU), Russia	2.40	1.28	9	-50.3%
26	Moscow Technological University (MIREA), Russia	1.71	1.23	4	-33.2%
27	Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation (Rosatom), Russia	0.75	0.95	7	17.1%
28	Dubna State University, Russia	0.00	0.89	6	0.0%
29	Far Eastern Federal University (FEFU), Russia	0.64	0.83	7	21.8%
30	Molecular Electronics Research Institute (MERI), Russia	0.00	0.82	2	0.0%
31	Lobachevsky State University of Nizhni Novgorod (UNN), Russia	1.71	0.77	5	-58.4%
32	Moscow State Pedagogical University (MSPU), Russia	0.38	0.76	4	89.0%
33	All-Russia Scientific Research Institute of Metrological Service (VNIIMS), Russia	0.25	0.69	3	158.2%
34	Saint-Petersburg Electrotechnical University (LETI), Russia	0.77	0.60	7	-27.5%
35	Bashkir State Pedagogical University (BSPU), Russia	1.46	0.58	1	-62.8%
36	Irkutsk State University (ISU), Russia	0.84	0.54	2	-40.0%
37	Novosibirsk State Technical University (NSTU), Russia	0.81	0.52	15	-39.9%
38	Samara National Research University, Russia	1.43	0.50	1	-67.5%
39	Herzen State Pedagogical University of Russia, Russia	0.07	0.49	3	535.3%
40	3D Bioprinting Solutions, Russia	0.00	0.40	1	0.0%
41	Gubkin Russian State University of Oil and Gas, Russia	0.02	0.38	2	1,907.2%
42	Science and Technique Laboratory Zaryad, Russia	0.00	0.37	2	0.0%
43	Volgograd State University (VolSU), Russia	0.00	0.36	2	0.0%
44	Bashkir State University (BashSU), Russia	0.00	0.33	1	0.0%
45	Vernadsky Crimean Federal University (CFUV), Russia	0.00	0.31	2	0.0%
46	Russian Federal Nuclear Center - All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of Experimental Physics (RFNC-VNIIEF), Russia	0.14	0.30	23	105.3%
47	South Ural State University (SUSU), Russia	0.32	0.29	6	-15.8%
48	Nizhny Novgorod State Technical University n.a. R.E. Alekseev (NNSTU), Russia	0.08	0.29	1	218.7%
49	I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (FMSMU), Russia	0.48	0.28	4	-46.7%
50	Yandex School of Data Analysis, Russia	0.30	0.26	36	-19.7%
51	Saint-Petersburg State University of Aerospace Instrumentation (SUAI), Russia	0.00	0.25	1	0.0%
51	Ulyanovsk State Pedagogical University, Russia	0.00	0.25	1	0.0%
51	Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University (IKBFU), Russia	1.25	0.25	1	-81.4%
52	S.I. Vavilov State Optical Institute, Russia	0.28	0.22	1	-25.6%
53	Vladimir State University named after Alexander and Nikolay Stoletovs, Russia	0.16	0.20	1	19.1%
54	Technical Institute for Superhard and Novel Carbon Materials (FSBI TISNCM), Russia	0.07	0.20	1	160.3%
55	Kuban State University (KubSU), Russia	0.00	0.18	1	0.0%
56	Chelyabinsk State University (CSU), Russia	0.00	0.17	1	0.0%
57	Research and Practical Clinical Center for Diagnostics and Telemedicine Technologies of the Moscow Health Care Department, Russia	0.00	0.13	1	0.0%
58	Speleoclub Arabica, Russia	0.00	0.11	1	0.0%
58	N.P. Ogarev Mordovia State University, Russia	0.05	0.11	1	116.9%
59	Nizhny Novgorod State Medical Academy, Russia	0.00	0.10	1	0.0%
60	Sirius University of Science and Technology, Russia	0.00	0.09	4	0.0%
61	Blagoveschensk State Pedagogical University (BSPU), Russia	0.00	0.09	1	0.0%
62	GrapheneTek LLC, Russia	0.00	0.08	3	0.0%
62	North-Eastern Federal University in Yakutsk (NEFU), Russia	0.00	0.08	1	0.0%
63	SuperOx, Russia	0.00	0.07	1	0.0%
64	National Medical Research Radiological Center (NMRRC), Russia	0.00	0.06	1	0.0%
65	Pskov State University, Russia	0.00	0.06	1	0.0%
65	Moscow Power Engineering Institute (MPEI), Russia	0.11	0.06	1	-52.1%
66	Siberian Federal University (SibFU), Russia	0.56	0.04	2	-92.6%
67	Central Research Institute for Machine Building (TsNIIMash), Russia	0.00	0.04	1	0.0%
67	Imtek Ltd., Russia	0.00	0.04	1	0.0%
67	Gagarin Research and Test Cosmonaut Training Center (GCTC), Russia	0.00	0.04	1	0.0%
68	Dubna International University of Nature, Society and Man, Russia	0.17	0.03	1	-82.6%
69	Far Eastern State Transport University (FESTU), Russia	0.08	0.03	1	-66.9%
70	JSC D.V. Efremov Institute of Electrophysical Apparatus (NIIEFA), Russia	0.00	0.02	1	0.0%
71	FSBI "National Medical Research Center of Endocrinology", Russia	0.00	0.02	1	0.0%
72	Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of the Russian Federation, Russia	0.00	0.01	1	0.0%
73	Federal Research Center of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Immunology - Dmitry Rogachev, Russia	0.00	0.00	2	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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2021 Research Leaders: Leading institutions in physical sciences

Table criteria

Footnote