AMSTERDAM – The heart of European innovation isn’t a major metropolis – it’s a small city in the Dutch-speaking region of Flanders. That’s the conclusion of the second annual Reuters ranking of Europe’s Most Innovative Universities, a list that identifies and ranks the educational institutions doing the most to advance science, invent new technologies, and help drive the global economy.

The most innovative university in Europe, for the second year running, is Belgium’s KU Leuven. This nearly 600-year-old institution was founded by Pope Martin V, but today it’s better known for technology than theology: KU Leuven maintains one of the largest independent research and development organizations on the planet. In fiscal 2015, the university’s research spending exceeded €454 million, and its patent portfolio currently includes 586 active families, each one representing an invention protected in multiple countries.

How does a relatively small Catholic university out-innovate bigger, better-known institutions across Europe? KU Leuven earned its first-place rank, in part, by producing a high volume of influential inventions. Its researchers submit more patents than most other universities on the continent, and outside researchers frequently cite KU Leuven inventions in their own patent applications. Those are key criteria in Reuters ranking of Europe’s Most Innovative Universities, which was compiled in partnership with Clarivate Analytics, formerly the Intellectual Property & Science business of Thomson Reuters, and is based on proprietary data and analysis of indicators including patent filings and research paper citations.

The second most innovative university in Europe is Imperial College London, an institution whose researchers have been responsible for the discovery of penicillin, the development of holography and the invention of fiber optics. The third-place University of Cambridge has been associated with 91 Nobel Laureates during its 800-year history. And the fourth-place Technical University of Munich has spun off more than 800 companies since 1990, including a variety of high-tech startups in industries including renewable energy, semiconductors and nanotechnology.

Overall, the same countries that dominate European business and politics dominate the ranking of Europe's Most Innovative Universities. But these countries are also among the most populous and richest countries on the continent. Control for those factors, and it turns out that countries with much smaller populations and modest economies often outperform big ones.

For more on the Reuters Top 100: Europe’s Most Innovative Universities, including a detailed methodology and profiles of the universities, visit http://www.reuters.com/article/us-reutersrankings-europeanuniversities-idUSKBN17Z09T.

The Reuters Top 100: The Most Innovative European Universities

Notes to Editors

The ‘Powering Innovation in Europe 2017’ webcast launching the European Top 100 will take place from 10.30am CEST on May 3 and can be watched at www.reuters.com/innovative-universities-livestream-2017

In conjunction with the release of the Top 100 rankings, a panel of experts will examine how to set metrics, work with partners, and develop ideas into successful products and startups.

Viewers will be able to Tweet their questions using the hashtag #ReutersRankings

Panellists:

Jacob Degn Flindt, CEO and Founder, MedArkive Ltd.

Alexander von Gabain, Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Innovation and Commercial Outreach, Karolinska Institute

Laura Pontiggia, Policy Advisor, European Research Council Executive Agency

Malcolm Wilkinson, CEO and Founder, Kirkstall Ltd.

Reuters

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