Nature Index

Nature Portfolio, part of Spring Nature, compiles an open database of information tracking contributions to research articles published in  an independently selected group of 82 high-quality science journals in order to rank institutions (companies, universities, government research institutes and NGOs) in terms of their scientific output. First published in 2016, the Nature Index serves as an indicator of research excellence and institutional performance, drawing on information from a 12-month rolling window of data.

In the most recent index (1 October 2021 – 30 September 2022), the aggregate data of the institutes that constitute BIST (the Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology) holds the second overall national position, only behind CSIC which aggregates data for 69 institutes in all areas of science. ICFO is one of 7 CERCA institutes that form BIST (the other members are CRG, IBEC, ICIQ, ICN2, IFAE and IRBB), and contributes 33 % of its total share.

Since 2018, Nature has also published a Science Cities supplement that reviews the policy, politics and science behind the world’s leading cities for output of high quality research. The 2022 supplement ranked Barcelona in 45^th position, similar to Lausanne. The top five science cities were Beijing, New York, Shanghai, Boston and San Francisco.

While offering only a view about the quality of an institution’s outcome in terms of high-impact publications, Nature Index is widely perceived as a good indicator of scientific excellence. At ICFO, it illustrates the career-boosting opportunities available to young PhD students and researchers, which remains the institution’s top mission. Barcelona, known as one of the most livable cities in the world, also shows to have a rich scientific and technological ecosystem, supportive of scientific careers.