2021 Research Leaders: Leading NPO/NGO institutions

The 2021 Research Leaders are based on Nature Index data from 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2020.

Table criteria

Position Institution Share 2019 Share 2020 Count 2020 Change in Share 2019–2020
1 Max Planck Society, Germany 767.68 793.17 2675
3.3%
2 Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres, Germany 489.83 582.76 2515
19.0%
3 Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), Russia 197.30 236.34 935
19.8%
4 Leibniz Association, Germany 201.64 199.53 996
-1.0%
5 Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences (BNLMS), China 178.33 164.86 421
-7.6%
6 Scripps Research, United States of America (USA) 119.60 119.37 268
-0.2%
7 Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), Spain 104.17 100.42 383
-3.6%
8 Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, United States of America (USA) 68.52 67.12 474
-2.0%
9 The Francis Crick Institute, United Kingdom (UK) 51.50 58.84 179
14.3%
10 National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), United States of America (USA) 42.95 46.41 175
8.1%
11 Pasteur Institute, France 31.38 46.23 255
47.3%
12 Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics (PI), Canada 41.72 44.44 125
6.5%
13 State Key Laboratory of Regional Environment and Sustainability, China 39.46 42.55 106
7.8%
14 Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), United States of America (USA) 39.77 37.59 151
-5.5%
15 Institute for Theoretical Physics (IFT), Spain 30.02 36.57 104
21.8%
16 HHMI Janelia Research Campus, United States of America (USA) 46.31 34.10 92
-26.4%
17 Institute of Earth Physics of Paris (IPGP), France 31.83 33.81 114
6.2%
18 Institute for Corpuscular Physics (IFIC), Spain 28.70 33.21 174
15.7%
19 Carnegie Institution for Science (CIS), United States of America (USA) 37.07 29.49 184
-20.4%
20 Joint Quantum Institute (JQI), United States of America (USA) 28.49 29.40 67
3.2%
21 Salk Institute for Biological Studies (Salk), United States of America (USA) 42.92 28.66 110
-33.2%
22 Wellcome Sanger Institute, United Kingdom (UK) 36.65 28.17 204
-23.1%
23 ENS Physics Laboratory (LPENS), France 11.35 27.86 71
145.5%
24 Simons Foundation, United States of America (USA) 18.97 26.92 156
41.9%
25 Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL), United States of America (USA) 20.72 26.34 82
27.1%
26 Flanders Institute for Biotechnology (VIB), Belgium 24.12 25.87 159
7.3%
27 Institut des Sciences Chimiques de Rennes (ISCR), France 34.60 25.48 63
-26.4%
28 Vienna Biocenter (VBC), Austria 19.04 23.62 88
24.1%
29 Institut de Physique Théorique (IPhT), France 24.38 23.22 61
-4.8%
30 JILA, United States of America (USA) 23.28 23.21 51
-0.3%
31 Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology (QNLM), China 17.56 22.32 167
27.1%
32 Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (OMP), France 21.82 22.15 93
1.5%
33 The Jackson Laboratory (JAX), United States of America (USA) 15.20 21.60 81
42.1%
34 Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA), Spain 20.56 20.62 331
0.3%
35 John Innes Centre (JIC), United Kingdom (UK) 18.79 20.22 58
7.6%
36 Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES), United States of America (USA) 19.43 19.98 107
2.8%
37 Institute of Supramolecular Science and Engineering (ISIS), France 17.59 19.77 47
12.4%
38 Institut Néel, France 18.38 18.95 63
3.1%
39 Fraunhofer Society, Germany 22.73 18.75 142
-17.5%
40 Laboratoire de Physique des Solides (LPS), France 12.68 18.58 46
46.5%
41 Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute (SBP), United States of America (USA) 19.56 18.12 74
-7.3%
42 Institute for Systems Research Atomic and Molecular Complexes (IRSAMC), France 19.05 17.77 53
-6.7%
43 Kastler Brossel Laboratory (LKB), France 14.95 17.64 39
18.0%
44 Center for High Pressure Science and Technology Advanced Research (HPSTAR), China 11.98 17.51 55
46.2%
45 National Oceanography Centre Southampton (NOCS), United Kingdom (UK) 12.21 17.18 57
40.7%
46 Hansjorg Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, United States of America (USA) 21.36 16.96 83
-20.6%
47 Cluster of Excellence - Complexity and Topology in Quantum Matter (ct.qmat), Germany 5.60 16.88 51
201.6%
48 Stowers Institute for Medical Research, United States of America (USA) 14.83 16.54 31
11.5%
49 National Enterprise for NanoScience and NanoTechnology (NEST), Italy 10.49 16.10 41
53.4%
50 Institute of Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), France 16.05 15.86 47
-1.1%
51 Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), United States of America (USA) 12.20 15.59 90
27.9%
52 Institute of Physics and Chemistry of Materials of Strasbourg (IPCMS), France 8.87 15.49 43
74.6%
53 Laboratoire de Physique ENS de Lyon, France 14.91 15.32 35
2.8%
54 Rudjer Boskovic Institute (RBI), Croatia 12.01 15.04 123
25.2%
55 Chan Zuckerberg Biohub (CZ Biohub), United States of America (USA) 8.59 14.68 159
70.8%
56 Ames Laboratory, United States of America (USA) 12.81 14.51 41
13.3%
57 Basic Sciences Division, FHCRC, United States of America (USA) 14.66 14.50 35
-1.1%
58 Institute of Earth Sciences (ISTerre), France 20.85 14.24 62
-31.7%
59 Institute of Molecular Sciences (ISM), France 12.69 14.03 36
10.5%
60 Curie Institute, France 19.27 14.02 136
-27.2%
61 State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, China 17.21 13.95 63
-19.0%
62 Center for Nanosciences and Nanotechnologies (C2N), France 18.29 13.92 42
-23.9%
63 State Key Laboratory on Integrated Optoelectronics, China 13.76 13.66 48
-0.7%
64 National Institute for Subatomic Physics (Nikhef), Netherlands 12.62 13.53 166
7.1%
65 Oncode Institute, Netherlands 14.82 13.43 98
-9.4%
66 Center of Materials Physics (CFM), Spain 8.80 13.27 69
50.8%
67 China Geological Survey (CGS), China 8.85 13.22 242
49.4%
68 Institute Charles Gerhardt of Montpellier (ICGM), France 10.48 13.14 41
25.4%
69 Center for Integrative Biology in Toulouse (CBI Toulouse), France 12.86 12.92 33
0.4%
70 Laboratoire de Chimie de Coordination (LCC Toulouse), France 8.82 12.91 34
46.4%
71 Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research (FMI), Switzerland 17.01 12.77 34
-24.9%
72 IPSL Sciences Laboratory of Climate and the Environment (LSCE), France 13.36 12.75 67
-4.5%
73 Polymat, Spain 9.10 12.67 30
39.3%
74 Theoretical Physics Center (CPHT), France 11.54 12.35 44
7.0%
75 Laboratoire de Physique des 2 infinis Irène Joliot-Curie (IJCLab), France N/A 12.32 110 N/A
76 Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (WEHI), Australia 8.52 12.29 80
44.2%
77 QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Australia 9.14 12.20 82
33.6%
78 Allen Institute, United States of America (USA) 10.40 12.18 30
17.1%
79 MRC Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine (IGMM), United Kingdom (UK) 13.10 11.91 66
-9.1%
80 Gulbenkian Institute for Molecular Medicine (GIMM), Portugal 11.04 11.84 47
7.2%
81 Institute for Nanoscience and Cryogenics (INAC), France 19.71 11.60 42
-41.1%
82 Van Andel Research Institute (VAI), United States of America (USA) 11.09 11.59 47
4.5%
83 Institut Laue Langevin (ILL), France 12.69 11.30 75
-11.0%
84 La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI), United States of America (USA) 12.68 11.27 50
-11.1%
85 Champalimaud Foundation, Portugal 10.89 11.21 25
2.9%
86 Centre for Petrographic and Geochemical Research (CRPG), France 9.28 10.96 35
18.1%
87 Cancer Research UK (CRUK), United Kingdom (UK) 9.68 10.89 116
12.5%
88 Laboratoire Charles Coulomb (L2C), France 8.69 10.86 33
25.0%
89 Laboratory of Theoretical and High Energy Physics (LPTHE), France 14.59 10.84 32
-25.7%
90 GEOAZUR, France 7.50 10.81 26
44.1%
91 Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre (IMEC), Belgium 7.03 10.66 39
51.8%
92 The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity (Doherty Institute), Australia 8.74 10.58 56
21.0%
93 Institute of Nuclear Physics of Lyon (IPNL), France 7.99 10.55 108
32.0%
94 California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences (QB3), United States of America (USA) 11.92 10.48 76
-12.1%
95 Centre for Quantum Technologies (CQT), Singapore 7.79 10.44 31
34.1%
96 Brain and Spine Institute (ICM), France 7.35 10.44 38
42.1%
97 Paris Institute of Molecular Chemistry (IPCM), France 9.67 10.44 20
7.9%
98 Department of Biology Ecole Normale Supérieure (IBENS), France 11.52 10.41 38
-9.6%
99 Laboratory of Physics and Mechanics of Heterogenous Environments (LPMMH), France 10.74 10.38 30
-3.3%
100 Synchrotron SOLEIL, France 8.70 10.31 70
18.4%
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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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