On November 26, 2024, academics and analysts across the EMEA region (Europe, Middle East and Africa) attended a masterclass hosted by experts from Times Higher Education Rankings (THE). The theme of the online masterclass was “ISR (interdisciplinary science research) Data and Rankings”.
During this masterclass, participants discussed:
– The motivation behind and the methodology of the ranking
– Analysis from this year’s results, and
– Feedback for the next ranking cycle
David Watkins, Managing Director – Data at THE, and Sol Ramos, Rankings Owner at THE, led the discussions with thought-provoking presentations.
In times of constrained research resources, geopolitical tension and hard-pressed budgets, this masterclass provided insight into how to keep interdisciplinary science (IS) central to institution’s research excellence.
Mr. Watkins highlighted a noteworthy trend: the growing volume of interdisciplinary publications in computer science and mathematics. In particular, a publication is considered IS if its IS score is in the top 25% percentile of all eligible publications.
Among European universities, Ukraine and France have high representation in the ranking, each boasting 11 universities ranked – second to Poland with 12 institutions ranked. David Watkins emphasized Europe’s strength in metrics such as industry funding and reputation, reflecting the region’s robust research ecosystem.
In the course of her presentation on the next ranking cycle, Sol Ramos announced that data collection for the next edition of the ranking would start on January 13, 2025. Regarding key eligibility criteria for the ranking, an institution must publish at least 100 ISR publications and have at least 50 academics working in science subjects. Ms. Ramos emphasized that Interdisciplinary Science Rankings 2026 would envisage changes in consideration of interaction between science disciplines, clinical and health disciplines, and social science disciplines.
The masterclass concluded with a Q&A session, which proved the academic community’s keen interest in new horizons of interdisciplinary research.
For the Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, this masterclass served as both a source of motivation and a strategic benchmark for strengthening its positions in the global academic environment.