18.12.2009
Research ranking: Universities in south-west Germany score top marks
Universities in south-west Germany have once again performed extremely well in the “2009 Research Ranking”. This year’s survey focused on the quality of research in the natural sciences, in mathematics, computer science and medicine. The Universities of Heidelberg, Tübingen and Freiburg, as well as the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), all achieved top rankings in the survey carried out by the Centre for Higher Education Development (CHE). The survey of German professors confirmed that both the Universities of Stuttgart and Konstanz had outstandingly impressive research faculties working in the disciplines considered in the study. The survey covered a total of 85 institutions of higher education in Germany, ten of which are in Baden-Württemberg.
Pioneering research is being undertaken in the three subject areas of biology, medicine and dentistry by the Universities of Heidelberg, Freiburg and Tübingen. The University of Konstanz was also found to be a top-ranking contender in the field of biology. Karlsruhe and Heidelberg are among the best performing research institutions in physics in Germany; Karlsruhe and Tübingen lead the way in computer science; and Heidelberg and Stuttgart were awarded top rankings in mathematics. Heidelberg was also the top-ranking research institution in chemistry which - with scores which put it in the leading group of universities in a total of six of the seven subject areas surveyed – makes Heidelberg the best institution of higher education in Germany in the 2009 CHE Research Ranking alongside the Technical University of Munich, which also boasts top rankings in six subject areas. The survey covered factors such as the number of doctoral degrees awarded and the number of inventions and publications produced. The amount of financial support which institutions were able to acquire from industry (third-party funding) also played a role in the final results.
Baden-Württemberg’s Minister of Science, Research and the Arts Peter Frankenberg commented on the results of the ranking study by concluding that competition between universities in Germany is getting tougher all the time. This is also why the “consistently good results” for universities in south-west Germany are so pleasing. With the extremely good research opportunities offered in subjects which were not surveyed this year, such as English studies, business administration, electrical and information technology, mechanical engineering or pharmacy, universities in Baden-Württemberg are among the very best in Germany.
