THE Impact Rankings 2020: universities play key role in pandemic recovery

As Times Higher Education was collecting and analysing data for the second edition of the Impact Rankings, Covid-19 was spreading across the globe. Universities the world over were shutting their campuses, students and academics were retreating into their homes, and teaching and research collaborations were moving online.  

When the ranking results were revealed on 22 April most of the world was still under lockdown.

The Impact Rankings are the only global league table to assess the social and economic impact of universities, using metrics based on the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. But perhaps there is no better illustration of the value and worth of universities than their response to the pandemic itself.  

Higher education institutions have been at the forefront of the fight against the virus, working overtime to find a vaccine, provide medical supplies and offer expert guidance to governments.

They have developed innovative new ways of teaching online and ensuring that campuses can reopen for the next academic year while adhering to social distancing laws and guidelines.

They have also proved that they are true pillars of their communities, providing meals for vulnerable residents and offering support for small businesses as well as hosting regional coronavirus testing centres.

The Impact Rankings are based on data that predate the pandemic, but as a recent analysis shows, some of the metrics are highly relevant in today’s post-Covid-19 world. The measures for SDG 3 (good health and well-being) are perhaps the most obvious examples, with metrics including institutions’ research on key diseases and conditions, the proportion of their health graduates, their outreach programmes related to health and their health services for students and staff.

But some of the metrics included in the other SDG tables, such as student food security, use of secure employee contracts and the promotion of remote working, provide a sense of how institutions may be performing in terms of responding to the social impact of the virus.

Universities have, of course, always been involved in research, education and outreach work that has a hugely beneficial impact locally and globally, but the myriad ways in which they contribute to society is perhaps more visible and better understood now than ever before. 

We are delighted that we can celebrate that in our 18 Impact Rankings tables – the overall ranking and the 17 tables demonstrating performance against each of the SDGs. As countries and their higher education sectors recover, it will be more vital than ever for societies to recognise the impact of universities. We hope that this exercise will ensure that the value of higher education remains at the forefront of people’s minds long after the pandemic has loosened its grip on the world.

ellie.bothwell@timeshighereducation.com

Countries/regions represented in the overall Impact Rankings 2020