KU Leuven: 7th most innovative university

Reuters has named KU Leuven the seventh most innovative university worldwide, and the highest ranked institution outside of the United States. Stanford University, MIT, and Harvard crown the list.

Each year in October, Reuters publishes a global ranking of the most innovative universities. The list complements the European ranking that is published in April, which KU Leuven has topped for four consecutive years. The ranking is based on the amount of citations of academic papers and patent filings, which indicate an institution’s interest in protecting and commercializing its discoveries.

Reuters praised the institutions in the top ten for their support to academics to publish, patent and market innovations. The press agency notes that our university “maintains one of the largest independent research and development organizations on the planet.” The statement continues: “KU Leuven consistently produced a high volume of patents and papers that influenced researchers across Europe and around the world.” Reuters refers to the hydrogen panels developed at KU Leuven's Center for Surface Chemistry and Catalysis and highlights that KU Leuven Research & Development (LRD) “was one of the first tech transfer offices in Europe, and has helped the university spin off more than 124 companies across a range of industries.”

“We are thrilled that the societal and economic impact of our research is recognised around the globe,” says rector Luc Sels. “Reuters rightly praises KU Leuven Research & Development for their extensive expertise in launching new technologies. They, together with the many researchers who have laid the foundation for these technologies, are the driving forces behind this success.”

World’s Most Innovative Universities 2019
1. Stanford University (US)
2. Massachusetts Institute of Technology - MIT (US)
3. Harvard University (US)
4. University of Pennsylvania (US)
5. University of Washington (US)
6. University of North Carolina Chapel Hill (US)
7. KU Leuven (Belgium)
8. University of Southern California (US)
9. Cornell University (US)
10. Imperial College London (UK)