KU Leuven, Europe's most innovative university
The University of Leuven (KU Leuven) has taken first place in the "Top 100" of the most innovative European institutions. This was revealed by the "Intellectual Property & Science" division of the Thomson Reuters group on 14 June.
This ranking aims to identify those institutions that contribute most to science and technology; and which have the greatest effect on the global economy.
In order to establish the ranking, the Thomson Reuters group gathered data from 170 European universities based on ten indicators. These included the volume of scientific journals from 2009 to 2014, calculated using their "Web of Science" database; the number of patents lodged; and the citation of KU Leuven inventions by other innovators.
The list was then reduced to institutions that had submitted at least fifty patent applications. Additional indicators were also considered such as the frequency of patent applications, the granting of patents, etc.
KU Leuven is not the only Belgian institution to feature in the "Top 100". The list also includes the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB) in 21st place, just above Ghent University. The Vrije Universiteit van Brussel (VUB) appears in 50th position, while the Université Catholique de Louvain (UCL) is ranked 61st and the Université de Liège (ULg) 71st.
Furthermore, this ranking also shows that 60% of the most innovative institutions are located in Western Europe. This includes 24 universities in Northern Europe and 15 universities in Southern Europe.