Image: ICR researchers in the lab
The Institute of Cancer Research, London, has again ranked among the top higher education institutions in the world for the impact of our research academically and commercially.
In this year’s 2020 U-Multirank report, the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) was rated fourth in the world for the citation rate of its scientific research, following institutions including Rockefeller University and MIT.
We also ranked fourth worldwide and top in the UK for top-cited research publications – those in a field's most frequently cited 10 per cent of papers that year.
U-Multirank is an annual independent evaluation funded by the European Commission, and this year assessed data from 1,786 higher education institutions across the world.
Effective industry collaboration is at the heart of our approach to drive benefits for patients, and our second-place ranking worldwide for the number of our publications cited in patents highlights the impact the ICR has on innovative new medicines and technologies through our research.
We also came eleventh worldwide for the proportion of our publications to feature an industry co-author, and in the top twenty institutions worldwide for our collaborations on a regional level – demonstrating our leadership in knowledge exchange and effective collaboration with neighbouring organisations.
In a separate report published by the UK patent office on Higher Education Institution patent filings, the ICR was ranked top for collaboration.
The UK Intellectual Property Office data showed the ICR filed some 92% of patent applications with an industry partner, compared to an average of about 60% across other UK Higher Education Institutions.
Dr Barbara Pittam, the ICR’s Director of Academic Services, said:
"Our rankings for 2020 show once again the ICR’s global reach and impact, and our success at tackling cancer through effective collaboration with academia and industry. I’m delighted to see us maintain our position at the pinnacle of research worldwide, as the number of universities participating in Multirank increases.”
Professor Paul Workman, Chief Executive of the ICR, said:
"I’m delighted that the dedication, excellence and innovation shown by ICR scientists is reflected in such a strong performance in these prestigious international rankings.
“Our high positions on citation rate and collaboration provide independent validation of the world-class quality of our research, and our effectiveness at delivering benefits for cancer patients through partnership and commercialisation.”