2020 Research Leaders: Leading NPO/NGO institutions

The 2020 Research Leaders are based on Nature Index data from 1 January 2019 to 31 December 2019.

Table criteria

Position Institution Share 2018 Share 2019 Count 2019 Change in Share 2018–2019
1 Max Planck Society, Germany 776.89 767.68 2580
-1.2%
2 Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres, Germany 505.12 489.83 2218
-3.0%
3 Leibniz Association, Germany 200.05 201.64 880
0.8%
4 Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), Russia 196.68 197.30 879
0.3%
5 Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences (BNLMS), China 146.33 178.33 440
21.9%
6 Scripps Research, United States of America (USA) 140.59 119.60 283
-14.9%
7 Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), Spain 112.75 104.17 374
-7.6%
8 Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, United States of America (USA) 65.72 68.52 449
4.3%
9 The Francis Crick Institute, United Kingdom (UK) 55.64 51.50 147
-7.4%
10 HHMI Janelia Research Campus, United States of America (USA) 37.18 46.31 105
24.6%
11 National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), United States of America (USA) 47.59 42.95 147
-9.7%
12 Salk Institute for Biological Studies (Salk), United States of America (USA) 40.94 42.92 147
4.8%
13 Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics (PI), Canada 43.18 41.72 130
-3.4%
14 Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), United States of America (USA) 41.71 39.77 155
-4.6%
15 State Key Laboratory of Regional Environment and Sustainability, China 34.22 39.46 85
15.3%
16 Carnegie Institution for Science (CIS), United States of America (USA) 42.67 37.07 210
-13.1%
17 Wellcome Sanger Institute, United Kingdom (UK) 37.47 36.65 197
-2.2%
18 Institut des Sciences Chimiques de Rennes (ISCR), France 29.14 34.60 76
18.8%
19 Institute of Earth Physics of Paris (IPGP), France 33.79 31.83 108
-5.8%
20 Pasteur Institute, France 36.29 31.38 208
-13.5%
21 Institute for Theoretical Physics (IFT), Spain 22.51 30.02 92
33.4%
22 Institute for Corpuscular Physics (IFIC), Spain 25.22 28.70 157
13.8%
23 Joint Quantum Institute (JQI), United States of America (USA) 20.38 28.49 70
39.8%
24 Institut de Physique Théorique (IPhT), France 15.50 24.38 55
57.3%
25 Flanders Institute for Biotechnology (VIB), Belgium 27.45 24.12 156
-12.1%
26 JILA, United States of America (USA) 25.31 23.28 55
-8.0%
27 Fraunhofer Society, Germany 21.04 22.73 136
8.0%
28 Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (OMP), France 29.18 21.82 110
-25.2%
29 Hansjorg Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, United States of America (USA) 22.39 21.36 85
-4.6%
30 Institute of Earth Sciences (ISTerre), France 13.39 20.85 71
55.7%
31 Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL), United States of America (USA) 31.74 20.72 68
-34.7%
32 Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA), Spain 19.63 20.56 305
4.7%
33 Institute for Nanoscience and Cryogenics (INAC), France 20.33 19.71 71
-3.1%
34 Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute (SBP), United States of America (USA) 15.79 19.56 95
23.9%
35 Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES), United States of America (USA) 22.25 19.43 122
-12.7%
36 Curie Institute, France 15.50 19.27 157
24.3%
37 Institute for Systems Research Atomic and Molecular Complexes (IRSAMC), France 17.77 19.05 49
7.2%
38 Vienna Biocenter (VBC), Austria 22.04 19.04 96
-13.6%
39 Simons Foundation, United States of America (USA) 10.68 18.97 106
77.6%
40 John Innes Centre (JIC), United Kingdom (UK) 17.07 18.79 50
10.1%
41 Institut Néel, France 22.42 18.38 69
-18.0%
42 Center for Nanosciences and Nanotechnologies (C2N), France 16.05 18.29 48
14.0%
43 Institute of Supramolecular Science and Engineering (ISIS), France 13.31 17.59 39
32.1%
44 Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology (QNLM), China 16.74 17.56 118
4.9%
45 State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, China 11.71 17.21 69
47.0%
46 Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research (FMI), Switzerland 9.07 17.01 56
87.5%
47 Institut de Chimie Moléculaire et des Matériaux d'Orsay (ICMMO), France 16.98 16.43 41
-3.3%
48 Center for Molecular Engineering (CME), United States of America (USA) 21.50 16.07 58
-25.2%
49 UNEP-Tongji Institute of Environment for Sustainable Development (IESD), China 7.68 16.07 26
109.3%
50 Institute of Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), France 16.73 16.05 54
-4.1%
51 The Jackson Laboratory (JAX), United States of America (USA) 10.70 15.20 62
42.1%
52 Kastler Brossel Laboratory (LKB), France 12.55 14.95 36
19.1%
53 Laboratoire de Physique ENS de Lyon, France 11.83 14.91 37
26.1%
54 Stowers Institute for Medical Research, United States of America (USA) 14.84 14.83 27
-0.1%
55 Oncode Institute, Netherlands 8.88 14.82 90
66.9%
56 Basic Sciences Division, FHCRC, United States of America (USA) 12.79 14.66 36
14.6%
57 Laboratory of Theoretical and High Energy Physics (LPTHE), France 11.71 14.59 37
24.6%
58 Institute of Mineralogy, Materials Physics and Cosmochemistry (IMPMC), France 13.61 14.18 54
4.2%
59 Cluster of Excellence - Munich Center for Integrated Protein Science Munich (CiPS-M), LMU, Germany 19.29 14.13 70
-26.8%
60 Institute for Structural Biology (IBS), France 10.13 14.01 50
38.2%
61 Institut de Biologie Paris-Seine (IBPS), France 13.02 13.83 40
6.2%
62 State Key Laboratory on Integrated Optoelectronics, China 13.26 13.76 29
3.8%
63 MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, New Zealand 8.36 13.49 32
61.4%
64 IPSL Sciences Laboratory of Climate and the Environment (LSCE), France 16.80 13.36 71
-20.5%
65 MRC Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine (IGMM), United Kingdom (UK) 12.02 13.10 75
8.9%
66 Center for Integrative Biology in Toulouse (CBI Toulouse), France 8.59 12.86 31
49.7%
67 Ames Laboratory, United States of America (USA) 19.24 12.81 51
-33.4%
68 Ludwig Cancer Research, United States of America (USA) 10.97 12.80 132
16.7%
69 Institut Laue Langevin (ILL), France 14.28 12.69 73
-11.1%
70 Institute of Molecular Sciences (ISM), France 14.28 12.69 25
-11.1%
71 La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI), United States of America (USA) 11.16 12.68 58
13.7%
72 Laboratoire de Physique des Solides (LPS), France 17.43 12.68 41
-27.2%
73 National Institute for Subatomic Physics (Nikhef), Netherlands 13.36 12.62 167
-5.5%
74 Laboratory of Theoretical Physics ENS (LPTENS), France 13.68 12.34 29
-9.8%
75 Laboratoire de Géologié de Lyon : Terre, Planète, Environnement (LGLTPE), France 8.47 12.30 32
45.1%
76 National Oceanography Centre Southampton (NOCS), United Kingdom (UK) 18.98 12.21 49
-35.7%
77 Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), United States of America (USA) 13.93 12.20 76
-12.4%
78 Collaborative Innovation Center of Quantum Matter (CICQM), China 19.20 12.08 141
-37.1%
79 Rudjer Boskovic Institute (RBI), Croatia 13.29 12.01 125
-9.6%
80 The Wistar Institute, United States of America (USA) 9.82 12.00 52
22.2%
81 Center for High Pressure Science and Technology Advanced Research (HPSTAR), China 11.57 11.98 44
3.5%
82 Gladstone Institutes, United States of America (USA) 14.72 11.94 50
-18.9%
83 California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences (QB3), United States of America (USA) 13.85 11.92 87
-13.9%
84 Institute of Chemistry of Strasbourg (IC), France 10.59 11.62 36
9.7%
85 European Institute for Marine Studies (IUEM), France 10.32 11.56 49
12.0%
86 Theoretical Physics Center (CPHT), France 5.39 11.54 34
114.1%
87 Department of Biology Ecole Normale Supérieure (IBENS), France 13.46 11.52 45
-14.4%
88 ENS Physics Laboratory (LPENS), France N/A 11.35 22 N/A
89 Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire de Physique (LIPhy), France 6.26 11.34 30
81.0%
90 Institut de Microbiologie de la Méditerranée (IMM), France 6.36 11.19 29
75.9%
91 Institute of Life Sciences Research and Technologies (iRTSV), France 5.78 11.12 33
92.5%
92 Van Andel Research Institute (VAI), United States of America (USA) 16.61 11.09 28
-33.2%
93 Gulbenkian Institute for Molecular Medicine (GIMM), Portugal 16.83 11.04 32
-34.4%
94 Paris Institute of Nanosciences (INSP), France 9.03 11.03 32
22.1%
95 Champalimaud Foundation, Portugal 11.26 10.89 29
-3.3%
96 Laboratory of Physics and Mechanics of Heterogenous Environments (LPMMH), France 2.71 10.74 24
296.1%
97 Institute of Light and Matter (ILM), France 12.27 10.50 21
-14.5%
98 National Enterprise for NanoScience and NanoTechnology (NEST), Italy 10.46 10.49 34
0.3%
99 Institute Charles Gerhardt of Montpellier (ICGM), France 12.34 10.48 34
-15.1%
100 Allen Institute, United States of America (USA) 11.01 10.40 29
-5.5%
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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/territory’s publication output in 82 high-quality natural science publications. The publications were chosen by an independent group of researchers. The list is reviewed periodically and journals may be removed or added.
  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 the data in the above table is published 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 research leaders tables.

Research Leaders tables from previous years are also updated annually to reflect any changes to the database. This means rankings and metrics may differ from the table when first released.


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