2017 tables: Institutions - physical sciences

The 2017 tables are based on Nature Index data from 1 January 2016 to 31 December 2016.

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# Institution Share 2015 Share 2016 Count 2016 Change in Adjusted Share* 2015–2016
1 The University of Tokyo (UTokyo), Japan 223.54 168.59 524 -22.8%
2 Tohoku University, Japan 87.66 78.63 213 -8.2%
3 Kyoto University, Japan 79.59 70.44 248 -9.4%
4 RIKEN, Japan 69.77 58.44 229 -14.3%
5 Osaka University, Japan 49.07 56.43 222 17.7%
6 National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), Japan 63.32 53.74 173 -13.1%
7 Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech), Japan 42.58 39.53 177 -5.0%
8 Nagoya University, Japan 36.48 35.73 155 0.2%
9 Kyushu University, Japan 22.57 31.33 133 42.1%
10 National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Japan 39.41 30.53 79 -20.7%
11 Keio University, Japan 15.17 26.55 49 79.1%
12 Hokkaido University, Japan 21.93 18.12 48 -15.4%
13 University of Tsukuba, Japan 19.31 17.48 142 -7.3%
14 Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT), Japan 16.55 15.79 29 -2.4%
15 High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK), Japan 19.94 15.66 149 -19.6%
16 National Institutes of Natural Sciences (NINS), Japan 13.77 13.88 92 3.2%
17 Osaka Metropolitan University (OMU), Japan 12.56 11.80 31 -3.8%
18 Waseda University, Japan 16.51 10.26 94 -36.4%
19 Chiba University, Japan 3.45 8.92 28 164.5%
20 Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST), Japan 4.65 8.34 17 83.4%
21 Kobe University, Japan 6.49 7.83 91 23.5%
22 Toyota Group, Japan 4.64 7.62 13 68.2%
23 Kanazawa University (KU), Japan 1.27 7.36 17 493.0%
24 Toshiba Corporation, Japan 5.50 7.30 13 35.9%
25 Hiroshima University (HU), Japan 13.48 7.13 53 -45.8%
26 Shinshu University (SU), Japan 2.23 6.71 83 208.5%
27 Yokohama National University (YNU), Japan 5.69 6.64 12 19.3%
28 Tokyo University of Science (TUS), Japan 7.17 6.09 24 -13.0%
29 The Graduate University for Advanced Studies (Sokendai), Japan 5.15 5.84 43 16.1%
30 National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), Japan 3.69 4.78 12 32.6%
31 Okayama University, Japan 8.00 4.56 86 -41.6%
32 Ritsumeikan University, Japan 1.37 4.42 14 230.2%
33 National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology (QST), Japan 3.06 4.31 13 44.4%
34 Nagoya Institute of Technology (NITech), Japan 4.53 4.05 9 -8.6%
35 Hitachi, Ltd., Japan 5.01 4.03 17 -17.7%
36 Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA), Japan 11.71 3.94 29 -65.5%
37 Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology (TUAT), Japan 2.19 3.92 9 83.1%
38 The University of Electro-Communications (UEC), Japan 4.43 3.83 14 -11.5%
39 Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute (JASRI), Japan 7.88 3.50 35 -54.5%
40 Kwansei Gakuin University, Japan 0.25 3.45 11 1311.3%
41 Japan Fine Ceramics Center (JFCC), Japan 1.04 3.29 14 224.6%
42 Kochi University of Technology, Japan 1.26 3.19 5 159.0%
43 Tokyo Metropolitan University (TMU), Japan 4.65 3.16 92 -30.3%
44 Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (JAIST), Japan 3.15 3.10 8 0.5%
45 Gakushuin University, Japan 0.54 3.09 6 484.0%
46 Aoyama Gakuin University, Japan 3.36 2.94 10 -10.5%
47 Yamagata University, Japan 8.73 2.73 14 -68.0%
48 JEOL Ltd., Japan 1.18 2.68 8 131.2%
49 Hamamatsu Photonics K.K., Japan 1.95 2.66 4 40.0%
50 Shimane University, Japan 0.95 2.58 4 178.3%
51 Saga University, Japan 1.86 2.58 5 42.2%
52 Nihon University, Japan 1.28 2.51 12 100.9%
53 Kyoto Institute of Technology (KIT), Japan 0.96 2.43 6 158.0%
54 Kyushu Institute of Technology (Kyutech), Japan 1.32 2.35 7 81.3%
55 Sophia University, Japan 0.14 2.34 9 1579.1%
56 Nara Institute of Science and Technology (NAIST), Japan 4.74 2.19 5 -52.8%
57 University of Hyogo, Japan 1.47 2.08 8 45.0%
58 Ibaraki University, Japan 2.60 2.07 9 -18.5%
59 Nagaoka University of Technology (NUT), Japan 2.01 2.07 3 5.4%
60 Meiji Gakuin University, Japan 0.01 2.01 3 29729.7%
61 Gunma University, Japan 1.47 1.99 5 38.5%
62 Toyohashi University of Technology, Japan 3.45 1.95 4 -42.3%
63 Rikkyo University, Japan 2.34 1.87 15 -18.3%
64 Akita University, Japan 0.46 1.83 5 308.4%
65 Shizuoka University, Japan 3.45 1.72 6 -49.0%
66 Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Japan 2.45 1.64 16 -31.5%
67 University of Yamanashi, Japan 0.55 1.58 6 191.4%
68 Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry (CRIEPI), Japan – 1.41 3 N/A
69 NEC Corporation, Japan 0.60 1.36 7 132.9%
70 Panasonic Corporation, Japan 1.88 1.35 5 -26.5%
71 Doshisha University, Japan 1.63 1.33 2 -16.2%
72 Research Organization of Information and Systems (ROIS), Japan 0.66 1.33 9 105.2%
73 Ehime University, Japan 1.94 1.32 7 -30.3%
74 Meijo University, Japan 1.28 1.32 6 5.6%
75 Tamura Corporation, Japan 0.70 1.27 5 85.2%
76 Fujitsu Ltd., Japan 1.17 1.25 2 9.7%
77 Mitsubishi Group, Japan 2.60 1.22 5 -52.1%
78 The Kitasato Institute, Japan 0.58 1.17 4 105.9%
79 Kanagawa University, Japan 0.25 1.12 11 351.8%
80 Ryukoku University, Japan – 1.10 2 N/A
81 Kogakuin University, Japan 0.61 1.09 9 84.5%
82 Aichi University of Education, Japan 0.01 1.08 3 7349.3%
83 Tottori University, Japan 0.09 1.02 2 1038.1%
84 Kindai University, Japan 0.58 1.00 3 75.1%
85 Spintronics Research Network of Japan (Spin-RnJ), Japan – 0.98 11 N/A
86 Toyota Technological Institute (TTI), Japan 1.91 0.98 3 -47.7%
87 Sony Corporation, Japan 1.00 0.98 3 0.1%
88 Kagawa University, Japan – 0.95 2 N/A
89 Osaka Institute of Technology (OIT), Japan 0.78 0.94 2 24.3%
90 Yamaguchi University, Japan 0.33 0.94 5 187.9%
91 Saitama University, Japan 2.50 0.87 8 -64.2%
92 The Open University of Japan, Japan 0.03 0.87 4 2573.2%
93 Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., Japan – 0.86 2 N/A
94 Kumamoto University, Japan 2.02 0.85 4 -57.0%
95 Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine (KPUM), Japan 1.00 0.75 1 -23.2%
96 Gifu University, Japan 0.43 0.74 11 75.2%
97 Institute of Systems, Information Technologies and Nanotechnologies (ISIT), Japan 0.31 0.72 4 136.9%
98 Okayama Institute for Quantum Physics, Japan 0.67 0.67 2 2.3%
99 Ochanomizu University, Japan 0.35 0.63 21 83.5%
100 Utsunomiya University, Japan 0.98 0.61 2 -36.6%

Footnote

Each year, the Nature Index publishes tables based on counts of high-quality research outputs in the previous calendar year. Users please note:

  1. The data behind the tables are based on a relatively small proportion of total research papers, they cover the natural sciences only and outputs are non-normalized (that is, they don’t reflect the size of the country or institution, or its overall research output).
  2. The Nature Index is one indicator of institutional research performance. The metrics of Count and Share used to order Nature Index listings are based on an institution’s or country’s publication output in 82 natural-science journals through 2022, in 2023 64 health-science journals were added to the Index. The 146 journals in the Nature Index were selected on reputation by an independent panel of leading scientists in their fields.
  3. Nature Index recognizes that many other factors must be taken into account when considering research quality and institutional performance; Nature Index metrics alone should not be used to assess institutions or individuals.
  4. Nature Index data and methods are transparent and available under a creative commons licence at nature.com/nature-index/.
  5. Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

The Nature Index database undergoes regular updating, corrections, adjustment of institutional hierarchies, and removal of retracted papers and thus the live website can differ from the frozen annual tables.

*The change in adjusted Share accounts for the small annual variation in the total number of articles in Nature Index journals. Share values have been adjusted to 2022 levels to calculate the percentage change. For more information on the adjustment, please see the Adjusted metric explainer.


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