World's First University Collaboration Ranking Goes Public on 15 September

The Research Collaboration Index will rank 1,195 universities in 81 countries from the open scholarly record. Free, public, and impossible to buy into.

LONDON, LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM, September 9, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- For decades, the world has ranked universities by reputation. On Monday 15 September 2026 at 09:00 UK time, it will be able to rank them by something different: the evidence of who they actually work with.

The Research Collaboration Index, launching publicly on the Research Collaboration Index launch page at globalresearchpartnerships.com/rci, is the first global ranking built to measure research collaboration itself. It covers 1,195 universities across 81 countries, built entirely from the open scholarly record: millions of co-authored research papers, measured across six published pillars covering influence in the global research network, the reach and diversity of partnerships, the citation impact of joint work, sustained long-term ties, and international intensity.
Until launch, every exact position is sealed. What can be said is this: the top of the index does not look like the top of the reputation league tables, universities from 18 countries will appear in the world top 100, and more than 250 universities from emerging research nations hold ranked positions, many appearing in a global index for the first time.
"Reputation asks who you have heard of. Collaboration shows what gets built, together, across borders," said Daniel Llewellin of Global Research Partnerships. "Some of the most celebrated names in higher education are not the most connected, and some of the most connected have never had the recognition. In one week, that changes."

The index accepts no submissions, no surveys and no fees, and no university can pay to move. Because every figure is drawn from open data on a published methodology, any result can be independently checked and reproduced.
"We built the index so that it cannot be bought," Llewellin said. "No ranking should ask the world to take its word for anything. Ours does not: the evidence is open, the method is published, and on 15 September anyone, anywhere, can check any number we publish."

The anticipation is already visible. The finalists for the inaugural Subject Awards, 260 finalists across 26 subject indices, each anchored to a named academic and a cited research project, are published now, with winners revealed at launch alongside four Broad Area Awards. University leadership teams across every continent have received their institutions' final results under embargo, and thousands of academics have watched the finalist announcement films in their first week.

At 09:00 UK on 15 September, the full rankings go live: the overall index, all 26 subject indices, regional and national tables, the complete methodology, and a public fact file for every ranked university setting out the evidence behind its position, with an enhanced dossier reserved for each institution's own leadership and staff. Everything is free to access.

About Global Research Partnerships: Global Research Partnerships connects a global network of more than 170,000 academics across 138 countries through its research newsletter and funding intelligence platform. Its mission is to make research collaboration visible, so that the universities that actually connect the world get the recognition they have earned. The Research Collaboration Index is free, public and independent, and will publish annually, with the 2026 edition its first.

Media enquiries, embargoed briefings and interview requests are welcome ahead of launch; regional and subject-level breakdowns will be available for journalists from 09:00 UK on 15 September. The countdown is live now on the launch page.

Daniel Llewellin
Global Research Partnerships
+44 2034883563
partners@globalresearchpartnerships.com
Visit us on social media:
LinkedIn
YouTube