2022 Research Leaders: Leading academic institutions

The 2022 Research Leaders are based on Nature Index data from 1 January 2021 to 31 December 2021.

Table criteria

Region/country

Sector

Subject/journals

Position	Institution	Share 2020	Share 2021	Count 2021	Change in Adjusted Share* 2020–2021
1	University of Valencia (UV), Spain	54.99	68.53	354	21.2%
2	Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM), Spain	70.67	60.83	377	-16.3%
3	University of Barcelona (UB), Spain	77.66	58.38	369	-26.9%
4	University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Spain	60.61	52.03	291	-16.5%
5	University of Santiago de Compostela (USC), Spain	36.21	35.08	159	-5.8%
6	Complutense University of Madrid (UCM), Spain	41.55	33.75	203	-21.0%
7	Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB), Spain	24.91	25.74	261	0.6%
8	University of Oviedo (UniOvi), Spain	24.54	19.65	128	-22.1%
9	University of Granada (UGR), Spain	21.09	19.00	144	-12.4%
10	Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC), Spain	14.50	18.80	107	26.1%
11	University of Seville (US), Spain	12.84	18.51	112	40.3%
12	University of La Laguna (ULL), Spain	12.67	14.63	112	12.3%
13	Rovira i Virgili University (URV), Spain	15.21	14.36	47	-8.1%
14	University of Zaragoza (Unizar), Spain	17.25	14.04	104	-20.8%
15	Pompeu Fabra University (UPF), Spain	14.80	13.95	103	-8.3%
16	Jaume I University (UJI), Spain	9.53	13.93	58	42.2%
17	Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV), Spain	14.77	11.24	62	-26.0%
18	University of Valladolid (UVa), Spain	8.83	10.11	22	11.4%
19	University of Alicante (UA), Spain	7.74	9.13	44	14.8%
20	University of Salamanca (USAL), Spain	15.62	8.97	32	-44.1%
21	University of the Balearic Islands (UIB), Spain	8.31	8.50	46	-0.5%
22	University of Alcalá (UAH), Spain	10.05	8.24	48	-20.2%
23	University of Girona (UdG), Spain	16.66	7.87	38	-54.0%
24	University of Murcia (UMU), Spain	14.30	7.55	34	-48.6%
25	Pablo de Olavide University (UPO), Spain	7.33	5.63	39	-25.3%
26	Charles III University of Madrid (UC3M), Spain	4.65	5.43	31	13.6%
27	University of Vigo (UVIGO), Spain	8.79	5.12	20	-43.4%
28	Technical University of Madrid (UPM), Spain	5.37	5.06	25	-8.3%
29	University of Navarra (UNAV), Spain	5.27	4.89	29	-9.8%
30	University of Málaga (UMA), Spain	7.61	4.83	38	-38.3%
31	University of Cádiz (UCA), Spain	1.95	4.59	25	129.3%
32	University of La Rioja (UR), Spain	4.87	4.41	15	-12.0%
33	University of Castilla-La Mancha (UCLM), Spain	7.96	4.39	38	-46.3%
34	University of Cantabria (UC), Spain	6.82	3.59	89	-48.8%
35	University of Extremadura (UEx), Spain	2.61	3.42	8	27.6%
36	Miguel Hernández University of Elche (UMH), Spain	4.81	3.22	18	-34.9%
37	King Juan Carlos University (URJC), Spain	6.34	2.75	18	-57.7%
38	Technical University of Cartagena (UPCT), Spain	1.84	2.68	10	42.1%
39	University of A Coruña (UDC), Spain	5.22	2.15	14	-59.9%
40	University of Burgos (UBU), Spain	6.20	2.12	8	-66.7%
41	San Pablo CEU University (USPCEU), Spain	3.71	2.02	8	-47.0%
42	Ramon Llull University (URL), Spain	1.02	1.99	39	90.0%
43	Public University of Navarre (UPNA), Spain	0.61	1.57	15	148.6%
44	University of Lleida (UDL), Spain	1.77	1.50	9	-17.4%
45	University of Almeria (UAL), Spain	3.29	1.47	11	-56.5%
46	University of Cordoba (UCO), Spain	1.30	1.31	14	-2.2%
47	University of Huelva (UHU), Spain	3.07	1.05	5	-66.9%
48	University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC), Spain	0.96	0.68	4	-31.0%
49	Open University of Catalonia (UOC), Spain	0.23	0.65	4	178.5%
50	Universidad Católica San Antonio de Murcia (UCAM), Spain	0.17	0.56	4	230.2%
51	CEU Cardinal Herrera University, Spain	0.37	0.48	5	23.9%
52	Comillas Pontifical University (UPCO), Spain	0.30	0.46	5	48.8%
53	National University of Distance Education (UNED), Spain	1.02	0.44	4	-57.6%
54	HM Hospitales, Spain	0.10	0.39	3	260.1%
55	University of Vic - Central University of Catalonia (UVic-UCC), Spain	0.34	0.39	5	10.9%
56	European University of Madrid (UEM), Spain	0.38	0.36	16	-9.4%
57	Francisco de Vitoria University (UFV), Spain	0.18	0.32	6	68.8%
58	Hospitales de Granada, Spain	0.08	0.31	11	251.5%
59	Universitat Internacional de Catalunya (UIC), Spain	0.46	0.27	5	-43.0%
60	University of Jaén (UJU), Spain	0.63	0.24	2	-63.3%
61	Barcelona Graduate School of Economics (Barcelona GSE), Spain	0.42	0.20	1	-53.3%
62	USC University Hospital Complex (CHUS), Spain	0.27	0.19	8	-32.2%
63	Universidad Católica Santa Teresa de Jesús de Ávila (UCAV), Spain	0.00	0.13	1	0.0%
64	European University of the Atlantic (UNEATLANTICO), Spain	0.01	0.12	2	1,962.2%
65	Loyola University Andalusia, Spain	0.00	0.11	1	0.0%
66	University of León (ULE), Spain	1.20	0.05	2	-95.7%
67	Nebrija University, Spain	0.00	0.05	1	0.0%
68	Valencia Catholic University Saint Vincent Martyr (UCV), Spain	0.05	0.04	1	-23.6%
69	Colegio Huerta de la Cruz, Spain	0.00	0.03	1	0.0%
70	Casa de Velàzquez, 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.
Nature Index data and methods are transparent and available under a creative commons licence at nature.com/nature-index/.
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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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2022 Research Leaders: Leading academic institutions

Table criteria

Footnote