KAIST leads in Asia; Stanford, the world as The Most Innovative University

(Picture courtesy to Stanford University)

By analysing higher education institutions through their advancements in science, inventions of new technology and empowerment of new markets and industries, Reuters Top 100 Rankings has once again declared Stanford University as the most innovative university in the world. For the third time in a row, Stanford University continues to lead in the developments and modernisations of our world, through producing influential patents and scientific papers, specifically focusing on stem cell and gene therapies.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard University sit next to Stanford on the rankings and have been holding on to their ranks respectively for 3 years as well. While the USA dominates most of university ranks, there are also two other universities from different countries in the top 10 - South Korea and Belgium.

Belgium’s KU Leuven is currently ranked at 5th. The university recently announced their new partnership with Ford Motor Company to study the durability of auto parts that was created using ‘3D Printing’ technology. They’ve also successfully performed the first robotic surgery on a patient with retinal vein occlusion at the University Hospitals Leuven.

KAIST, formerly known as Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, from South Korea is currently ranked number 6th most innovative university in the world with their latest research in the development of a ‘parasite’ robot that is able to control the movements of a living host. Besides that, KAIST has also developed shock-absorbing tactile sensors, which they planned to utilise on robots.

Reuters emphasize that the rankings alone does not provide a complete picture of how various universities are performing. The methodology of selecting these universities is solely based on institutional innovation, especially in patent filings and research paper citations. The evaluation may have disregarded particular innovative departments and programs offered by some universities.

For more information on Reuters Top 100 World’s Most Innovative Universities (2017), click here.