UQ tops Nature index

The University of Queensland has again shown its global leadership credentials, ranking as Australia’s top institution and within the global top 100 of the prestigious Nature Index.

UQ was one of only two Australian universities in the leading 100 of the global index, which is associated with the Nature publishing group and was released today (18 June).

The index rates institutions and countries according to the number and quality of research publications.

Australia placed 12^th, with UQ leading the charge ahead of Monash University.

UQ Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Peter Høj said Australian universities had performed particularly well in the life sciences, with UQ being the strongest performer.

“This is a credit to our researchers and collaborators, and is also reflected in the increasingly successful commercialisation of UQ’s biomedical research by the leading commercialisation company, UniQuest,” Professor Høj said.

“UniQuest has raised more than $500 million to take university technologies to market, and has established more than 70 start-ups associated with UQ research.

“We call that ‘excellence-plus’ and it is evidenced by products such as the cervical cancer vaccine, Gardasil and spin-out companies including Spinifex, Vaxxas, Dendright and Protagonist.”

Professor Høj said the index also showed a large amount of UQ research was collaborative, with more than 70 per cent of published findings involving at least one collaborating institution.

“This demonstrates the importance of building and enhancing relationships with our national and international counterparts and is illustrated by our recent establishment of the Queensland Emory Drug Discovery Initiative with one of the world’s foremost developers of therapeutic agents, Professor Dennis Liotta of Emory University. 

"Professor Liotta is one of the inventors of 10 drug combinations currently on the market, and it is estimated that over 90 per cent of current HIV patients have used one of these combinations.  

“UQ has many excellent life scientists who advance health benefits that improve the wellbeing of entire communities.

“By partnering with other great minds with diverse ideas and perspectives, they can produce even greater benefits for global society.

“Their success fits with UQ’s vision of knowledge leadership for a better world.”

 More information is at natureindex.com.

Media: Communications@uq.edu.au, +167 3365 1120.