Latest news with #NatureIndex
South China Morning Post
3 days ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
US still reigns over China in tech race, but gaps are quickly closing: Harvard report
The United States continued to lead China in critical technologies, namely artificial intelligence (AI), biotechnology, semiconductors, space and quantum, according to a report released on Thursday by Harvard University. Advertisement The authors of the Critical and Emerging Technologies Index, released by the university's Belfer Centre for Science and International Affairs, said the US maintained its competitive edge because of large-scale American public and private investment, a top-notch and diverse research workforce, and a decades-old decentralised innovation ecosystem. To quantify the global tech race, the index assigned considerable weight to private and public funding resources – a US advantage not captured by trackers focusing on research output, such as the Nature Index and the Critical Technology Tracker, created by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, both of which have pointed to China as the leading country in many research fields, according to the team. In January, Nature Index showed that in terms of high-quality scientific research output, Sichuan University, a regional university in southwest China, had overtaken Stanford University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Oxford University and the University of Tokyo in less than two years. The index – maintained by the highly regarded academic journal, Nature – ranks research institutions based on their contributions to articles published in the world's most influential science journals. Advertisement
South China Morning Post
03-03-2025
- Science
- South China Morning Post
As China sweeps top spots, chemistry seems to be dying in the US. Is this a power shift?
There is a seismic shift happening in global scientific leadership: China is cementing its dominance in chemistry research, while Western institutions are facing cutbacks. Advertisement Updated data from the Nature Index , tracking high-impact research from around the globe, has revealed Chinese universities now monopolise the top 20 spots in chemistry – as traditional US powerhouses such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) go into free fall. Meanwhile, universities in the US and Britain are closing down chemistry departments, signalling a stark divergence in priorities. Chemical research serves as the cornerstone of materials science, with innovative alloy materials, engineering plastics and rubber being applied in aerospace , construction and other fields. The chemical industry, covering sectors such as petroleum, pharmaceuticals and fragrances, forms an integral component of the global economy. But the trend in the Nature Index could reflect the shifting global balance of scientific power – an ongoing transformation in talent and industry. Advertisement The ranking of high-level research output, based on papers published between December 2023 and December 2024, show Chinese universities have maintained a dominant position in the chemistry category. The only competition from Western institutions in the top 20 has come from Germany's Max Planck Society at No 13 and the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) at 18th.
South China Morning Post
09-02-2025
- Science
- South China Morning Post
Sichuan University overtakes Oxford, MIT in global research rankings
A university in southwest China has ranked higher than more well-known Western institutions for its research quality in science. Nature Index ranks research institutions on their contributions to articles in the world's most well-known science journals. Sichuan University (SCU) is in Chengdu. It is now ranked 11th in the world's leading educational institutions. It has gone past Stanford University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Oxford University and the University of Tokyo, according to the latest America's Harvard University has the top spot on the list. The other nine institutions in the top 10 are all in China. The Nature Index covers five major subject areas. These include biological sciences, chemistry, earth and environmental sciences, health sciences and physical sciences. SCU's work in chemistry stands out. It is ninth in the world in this subject area. SCU has been working to improve its research quality. It has hired more experienced researchers and increased its research funding. Since 2017, SCU has also held 11 forums to attract young researchers from overseas. It has also invited more than 5,000 scholars from dozens of countries and regions. Answer: 11th
South China Morning Post
08-02-2025
- Science
- South China Morning Post
China leading physics research, with US a distant rival, Nature Index shows
Published: 10:00pm, 8 Feb 2025 The world's top organisations for high-quality physics research are all in China or Europe, with the US' highest-ranked institution coming in at No 13, according to the latest Nature Index. A China-based observer said this could have far-reaching implications for the United States' technological edge, with physics underpinning much of modern technology and innovation. But another highlighted America's overall lead in original research breakthroughs. The Nature Index – maintained by the prestigious journal of the same name – ranks research institutions based on their contributions to articles published in the world's most influential scientific journals. The latest list was based on research output in the 12 months from November 2023. China dominated the top 10, with the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) and Tsinghua University taking the top three spots. Only two non-Chinese institutions broke into the top 10 – the Max Planck Society in Germany at No 4 and the French National Centre for Scientific Research at No 10.
