Impact Ranking, the most recent list of Times Higher Education, the renowned British ranking system, assesses the social and economic involvement and impacts of universities against the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals. The University of Debrecen was assessed in 4 of the 17 categories and was ranked among the best in all of them. In the Good Health and Wellbeing category UD was ranked 44th of the 620 assessed universities, making it the best among Hungarian universities, while in the Life Below Water category, which featured in the assessment for the first time, it ranked 54 among 242 universities.
- UD’s focus of strategic planning is the health industry with special emphasis on teaching and conducting research into medical science and related health and life science. The recent corona virus pandemic also highlights the need for significant resources on behalf of universities considered to be knowledge centres to be invested in research into medicine and health industry and for results to be made accessible and useful to the general public as well, said Zoltán Szilvássy, rector of UD.
In the Quality of Education (676 universities assessed) and Partnership for Goals (806 universities assessed) categories our university ranked in the 101-200 position. On aggregates, UD is now ranked in the position 201-300.
According to chancellor Zoltán Bács DU’s results are greatly attributable to its extensive interconnected nature as a results of which the university’s third mission goals can be realised whether in the field of industrial and economic development, medical care, health care, or sports and culture.
In the field of Good Health and Wellbeing assessors of the international ranking considered the number of students, the number of students relative to that of the total medical student population, medical research, industrial cooperation, as well as the infrastructure linked to a healthy way of life: university sports facilities (university sports complex, DESOK, SET-centre, and Unifit). In the field of Quality of Teaching the following factors contributed to the high scores: research into childhood teaching and lifelong learning and the proportion of degree holders in teacher training and first-generation intellectuals to the entire student population. In the Life below Water category the following factors contributed to the high scores: research into the main topic, teaching and research activity related to aquatic ecosystems, disposal of waste harmful to water, and maintenance of the local aquatic ecosystems. In the Partnership for Goals category teaching, research and social involvement were assessed against the United Nation’s Sustainability goals.
The list is headed by the University of Auckland, New Zealand, and the University of Sydney and Western Sydney University, Australia. In the Good Health and Wellbeing category RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ireland, La Trobe University, Australia, and China Medical University (Taiwan) took the first three positions. Besides UD, Semmelweis University, Budapest, the University of Szeged, and the University of Pécs, Eötvös Loránd University, and Széchenyi István University made it to the most recent list of Times Higher Education (THE).
The full list is available at Times Higher Education website.
Press Office
With its 44th position in the Good Health and Wellbeing category the University of Debrecen has ranked the best Hungarian university, also ranking among the best among the world’s universities in three other categories on the most recent list of Times Higher Education (THE).
