Benchmarks for assessment

International collaboration as measured by world rankings is key to Asia’s future, argues Justin Kim.
Innovation is a key driver for Asia’s fastest-growing economies and universities are vital sources of it. There are several higher education institutions that have put their names on the world map by becoming top-ranking universities in a short period of time: with the right strategy, others can follow suit.
Analysis of Thomson Reuters’ data shows that the volume of research produced by Asian universities continues to increase and even outperforms non-Asian universities in certain fields. These leading areas are often aligned with industrial sectors that support host nations’ economic growth: South Korea, for example, consistently demonstrates outstanding research in materials science, as the semiconductor industry has contributed substantially to the growth of its economy. More...