Impacts of universities onto society and mankind should be captured in global rankings

[Sponsored article] The latest Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings shows that, in many ways, especially in research and teaching excellence, Hong Kong universities are continuing to punch well above their weight.

Speaking in the midst of the THE Innovation & Impact Summit, Dr Alison Lloyd, Director of Institutional Research and Planning, at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU), said besides research and teaching, it was significant for the rankings to capture the diverse activities undertaken by universities, as well as the economic and social impacts of these activities. PolyU is thus glad to co-host the Summit to kick start the very important conversation in this regard among various stakeholders across the world. 

Mr Phil Baty, Editorial Director, Global Rankings of THE, said the Summit has provided a useful forum to help develop and shape new metrics for providing meaningful and trusted data of universities’ impact performances in the future.

He explained that at present, THE global rankings contain 13 performance indicators, covering the whole range of a university’s activities: teaching, research, interaction with business, international outlook and reputation. The indicator of research funding a university attracts from business is a reflection of its research impact onto the society. “But we want to do better … though many of the most important aspects of universities’ impact performance, especially beyond immediate economic impact, are very difficult to capture.”

Citing PolyU as a very good example of an interconnected institution, with innovations it developed having clear applications in supporting business growth or societal developments, Mr Baty acknowledged that these might not be all captured in the current ranking mechanism.