Evaluation of "Nature Index" for papers, etc.

In the 'Nature Index' ranking that evaluates global scientific research capabilities, including first place, eight Chinese universities and research institutions occupy the top 10. China has also surpassed the United States for two consecutive years in the overall rankings among countries, securing the top position worldwide.

Springer Nature, which publishes the international academic journal Nature, released the Nature Index 2025 ranking on the 11th, which includes the aforementioned results. The Nature Index ranks countries and institutions based on the number and impact of scientific papers published in top academic journals, and is considered a globally credible indicator for evaluating scientific research standards.

In the institutional rankings, the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) retained its top position this year after surpassing Harvard University (ranked second) last year. Eight Chinese universities and research institutions, including the University of Science and Technology of China (ranked third), Zhejiang University (ranked fourth), and Peking University (ranked fifth), entered the top ten. Germany's Max Planck Society dropped from fourth to ninth place this year, while France's representative research institution, the National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS, ranked thirteenth), fell out of the top ten for the first time. Korean universities and government-funded research institutions did not make it into the top 50. Statistics show that only Seoul National University (ranked 52nd) and KAIST (ranked 82nd) made it into the top 100. It is pointed out that scientific paper achievements are leading indicators for future commercialized technologies; thus, China's control over the global industry will be further strengthened.

Thirty years ago, China was considered a frontier country by the world's scientific community, but now it has consolidated its position as one of the advanced countries globally. Previously, China's papers were numerous but lacked quality, but now the number of top-tier papers published by China has surged dramatically, transforming it into a scientific powerhouse. This is proven by China's victory over the United States in the Nature Index national rankings last year, securing the top spot.

In this year's ranking, which analyzes and evaluates 9,283 papers published in 145 scientific field academic journals in 2024, China remains firmly in the top position, with the world's scientific community even viewing China's "scientific rise" as reaching a terrifying level.

China widens the gap with the US

This year, maintaining its leading position in the overall rankings among countries, China further widened the gap with the US. In various fields, the US remained at the top in life sciences and health medicine, but in physics, chemistry, and earth and environmental sciences, China led by a huge margin. In the comprehensive rankings, China maintained its lead. In terms of the total score, which serves as the standard for comprehensive rankings, the gap between China and the US is larger than last year. Germany, the UK, Japan, and France rank third to sixth in the comprehensive rankings, unchanged from last year. South Korea rose from eighth place last year to seventh place this year.

Professor Lee Sung-joo of Seoul National University said, "This may be due to the surge in analysis and research based on artificial intelligence (AI) in fundamental science fields such as chemistry and physics in China. As a synergistic effect of AI development, China has not only significantly increased its research volume but also improved its research standards."

The Nature Index also stated, "In the past two years, China has seen a dramatic increase in the number of top-tier academic journal papers published in physics and chemistry, which are subjects of Nature Index statistics." It is analyzed that with strategic investments by the Chinese government, the number of top-tier papers published by Chinese universities and research institutions has surged, thereby improving their rankings.

University and research institute competitiveness is the secret

The competitiveness of universities and research institutes has laid the foundation for China's rise as a scientific powerhouse. The Nature Index evaluates contributions to outstanding papers and converts them into scores for evaluation. The score gap between the best-ranked Chinese Academy of Sciences and second-ranked Harvard University exceeds double. Zhejiang University, which ranked tenth last year, leaped to fourth place this year, with a significant surge in rankings for Chinese universities. With the leapfrog advancement of Chinese universities and research institutions, traditional scientific powerhouses like those in the US and Europe seem to have been overshadowed. Even Harvard University, which is currently at odds with Donald Trump, is struggling to hold its ground.

The Nature Index stated, "As we statistically count only a limited number of world-class papers, the Nature Index ranking is akin to a 'zero-sum game.' If a specific country or institution produces more research outcomes, the outcomes of other countries or institutions will necessarily decrease." The scientific community is concerned that if researchers leave the US due to cuts in research budgets under the Trump administration, China's dominance may further strengthen.

Professor An Joon-mo of Ewha Womans University said, "China has been fully investing in bringing overseas master's degree holders back home, and the results are now shining brightly. The turning point for China to solidify its leading position in mainstream science has arrived."

Nature Index

Springer Nature, publisher of the journal Nature, uses metrics based on the quantity of scientific papers and research contributions to rank countries and institutions. For example, in the Nature Index 2025, an analysis and evaluation were conducted on 9,283 papers published in 145 highest-level academic journals across scientific fields in 2024. This index is considered a credible measure of the latest research results in the scientific field.

Source: Chosun Ilbo

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7517564923459797519/

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