The University of Rzeszów, Lublin University of Technology, SWPS University, Jagiellonian University, University of Bialystok, Częstochowa  University of Technology won the ELSEVIER Research Impact Leaders Awards, awarded for the first time in 2016 as part of the Elsevier global initiative aimed at supporting research and science development.

The awards are given in recognition of outstanding research institutions that have the greatest impact on scientific research and contribute to a better recognition of Polish science in the world.

The awards were presented in six categories during the 5th Conference 'Polish universities in the global perspective - Rankings and strategic university management'. 

Reported by 'Perspektywy' Education Foundation, the University of Rzeszów won in the Agricultural Sciences category in 2020. The remaining nominees in this category were: the Lodz University of Technology and the Poznań University of Natural Sciences.

The winner improved its publication portfolio by over 45 percent. In addition, the number of affiliated authors increased by over 20 percent. Papers affiliated to this institution were cited with the same frequency as other similar papers in the world. Particularly noteworthy is the fact that the university has almost 10% of papers among the most-cited and 20 percent of the papers have been published in the most prestigious journals. 

According to the foundation, a paper on honey and pollen spectroscopy, cited five times more often than other similar papers, deserves particular recognition.

The Research Impact Leader Award 2020 in the Engineering and Technologies category went to the Lublin University of Technology. Other nominees in this category were the Gdańsk University of Technology and the University of Silesia in Katowice.

In terms of publication, the winning university increased its portfolio by over 50 percent, although this was not the highest result. The papers by authors from this university were cited above the global average, 10 percent of them were among the top 10% of cited papers. International cooperation took place in the case of almost 40 percent of documents affiliated to this university. The publication on biodegradable polymers in packaging was cited over 11 times more than similar papers.

The 2020 award in the Humanities category went to the SWPS University. In this category, the following universities were also nominated: the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan and the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń.

The winning university increased the publication portfolio by 30 percent, the number of authors by more than 10 percent, and its publications were cited more often than similar papers in this field. In addition, the authors pay attention to where they publish, and as a result over 20 percent of papers were published in the most influential journals. The international cooperation index for this institution was at ca. 40 percent. Papers on topics such as young people's physical activity were more than 4 times better cited than other similar documents.

The winning university in the Medical Sciences category in 2020 was the Jagiellonian University. The other nominees were: the Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin and the Wroclaw Medical University.

In the Medical Sciences category, almost 20 percent papers of the winner were published in the most influential, top 10% journals. Over 13 percent Found papers were among the most citied publications. The documents of the authors connected to this university were cited over 75,000 times, and they were cited 2 times more often than similar papers. Documents in the field of cardiology and cardiovascular medicine were not only cited 13 times more often than similar papers, but also mentioned in social media (Twitter).

The winner of the Research Impact Leader Award 2020 in the Natural Sciences category was the University of Bialystok. Other universities also nominated in this category were: the University of Warsaw and the University of Zielona Góra.

In the Natural Sciences category, the increase in the number of publication by 30 percent and in the number of authors by 28 percent are the first factors that show the strengthening position of the University of Bialystok on the map of Polish universities. In addition, the publications were citied better than other similar papers. The authors pay attention to sources: over 20 percent papers were published in the most influential journals. The rate of international cooperation is over 45 percent. Looking at the cross-section of the highest cited papers, documents concerning astronomy dominate. A closer look reveals documents on chemistry or biology, some of them cited 5 times more often than similar papers.

The 2020 Social Sciences award went to the Częstochowa University of Technology. The other nominees in this category were: the Gdańsk University of Technology and the Warsaw University of Life Sciences.

The winner in the Social Sciences category doubled the number of affiliated publications and increased the number of authors. Its publications were cited more often than similar papers in this field. The authors from this institution effectively collaborate with colleagues from abroad with almost 40 percent of papers created with the participation of foreign co-authors. Industry 4.0 is a topic to which several papers are devoted; they have a significant number of citations. They were also cited more often than similar papers.

PAP - Science in Poland

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