Asia Hits New Milestones In 2021 Times Higher Education Rankings

By improving upon research and industry indicators, Asia’s top universities are continuing to climb the 2021 THE World University Rankings.



5. Top universities push for research impact, industry linkages

As seen in the rankings, research and industry-related metrics are the key factors for boosting institutional performance. While the top 100 universities had a relatively even spread across various performance attributes, Asian institutions in the 101-200 band scored distinctly higher in research citations and industry income, over other criteria such as teaching.

To keep its spot on the World Rankings as the third best performing Asian institution, NUS found most success in research output, posting a score of 90. The university’s industry income metric also soared by nearly 20 points to just under 80, offsetting dips in other attributes. Meanwhile, the National Taiwan University climbed from 120th to 97th—marking its first appearance in the global top 100—largely due to improved research and citation impact scores.


Ultimately, Asia’s representatives in THE rankings show how targeted efforts can enhance institutional performance. Primarily, the largest gains came through pursuing extensive research activities with community impact.

International partnerships are also key in expanding the scale and reach of Asian-led research. For example, Chinese institutions are increasingly collaborating with the US, translating into a strong showing across the table.

Beyond the numbers, these metrics could serve as a standard to guide educational policies and university initiatives towards growth. By taking a cue from this playbook, more Asian institutions can achieve increased representation on the global stage—raising the bar for higher education in the region.


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Copyright: Asian Scientist Magazine; Photo: Shutterstock.
Disclaimer: This article does not necessarily reflect the views of AsianScientist or its staff.

Erinne Ong reports on basic scientific discoveries and impact-oriented applications, ranging from biomedicine to artificial intelligence. She graduated with a degree in Biology from De La Salle University, Philippines.

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