KAIST, the most innovative university in the Asia Pacific

KAIST, University of Tokyo and Pohang University of Science & Technology (POSTECH) top the annual Reuters ranking of Asia Pacific’s Most Innovative Universities for 2018.

The Asia Pacific ranking aims to identify and rank the educational institutions in the region doing the most to advance science, invent new technologies and power new markets and industries. Compiled in partnership with Clarivate Analytics, a global data company providing trusted insights and analytics, the ranking is based on empirical data including patent filings from Derwent Innovation and research paper citations from the Web of Science.

The most innovative university in the region, for the third consecutive year, is South Korea’s KAIST. Formerly known as the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, it is the nation’s oldest research-oriented science and engineering university, with campuses in Daejeon, Seoul and Busan.

Recent KAIST research highlights include the development of a highly durable platinum-based fuel cell catalyst that removes particulate matter from the air while it is in operation, an innovation that could lead to more efficient electric vehicles that reduce pollution when driven.

KAIST once again earned its firstplace rank among the Asia Pacific’s most innovative universities by producing a high volume of influential inventions. Its researchers submit more patents than any other university on the list, and those patents are frequently cited by outside researchers in their own patents and papers.

Japan’s University of Tokyo takes the runner-up spot, moving up one rank from 2017. Korea’s POSTECH takes third, also moving up one, and Seoul National University comes in fourth after dropping two. Tsinghua University (#5) is the highest-ranked university in China, up one from last year. Osaka University (#6), Kyoto University (#7), Sungkyunkwan University (#8), Tohoku University (#9) and the National University of Singapore (#10) round out the top 10.

Only three new institutions appear on the list this year, all of them based in China: The China University of Mining & Technology (#56), Shandong University (#67), and Xiamen University (#74). The region exhibits a remarkable consistency, unlike Europe and North America: In contrast, Reuters’ 2018 ranking of Europe’s Most Innovative Universities featured 15 new entries.