HSE University Remains Leader in Four Subjects in AC Expert Research Productivity Rankings

© Andrey Filyaev / HSE University

HSE University has taken first place in four subjects in the research productivity ranking of Russian universities published by the Expert analytical centre. The university also placed in the top five in eight other subjects.

HSE University ranked first in Economics, Management, Social Sciences (three subjects in which it has retained its lead since it first appeared in the rankings) and Humanities. The university also made the top ten in eleven subjects for the second year in a row. In total, HSE University was ranked in twenty subjects—one of the best results among Russian universities.

Andrei Melville

‘We have managed to remain the leader in our field for seven years thanks to our high-class specialists, our teachers and research fellows who conduct research projects, implement grants, and publish their work in leading world-class research journals,’ explained Andrei Melville, Dean of the HSE University Faculty of Social Sciences. ‘The high quality of publication activity by our colleagues is supported by both university-wide tools (such as the system of academic bonuses) and faculty-specific ones. In particular, in the Faculty of Social Sciences, the top research projects by colleagues and students receive extra support and financing from the faculty. One such programme that started in 2020 has already achieved significant publishing and reputational results for our researchers, the faculty, and the university as a whole. I would also like to highlight that we have further potential for growth in terms of the level of journal citation, the number of citations per article, and other indicators,’ he added.

Valery Katkalo

Valery Katkalo, Dean of the Graduate School of Business and First Vice Rector at HSE University, said: ‘Our stable lead in the research productivity rankings in management is the product of a unique combination of staff, management and cultural characteristics of the HSE University research environment. This includes the concentration of leading Russian management researchers at the Graduate School of Business and related departments of the university, the advanced model of research development management (with an emphasis on studying original empirical data and publication in the world’s leading research journals), and the corporate culture of innovation as one of the key components of HSE University’s DNA. What is more, the increasing variety of research and educational fields at HSE University over the last twenty years is an important driver in strengthening its positions in this ranking. This greatly promotes the development of management as a modern and interdisciplinary field of scientific research.’

Sergey Pekarski

Sergey Pekarski, Dean of the Faculty of Economic Sciences, said: ‘HSE University has demonstrated very good results for the fourth year in a row, and we are happy that these are reflected in the ranking. We make great efforts to help university staff discover their scientific potential, and we provide them with everything necessary to conduct studies and encourage research work. For an institution like HSE University, it is very important that teachers are involved in research, follow the work of their international colleagues, and give students an up-to-date and complete picture of what is going on in their field. I would like to thank the teachers and research fellows of the Faculty of Economic Sciences and HSE University overall for their work.’

Anastasia Ugleva

Anastasia Ugleva, Head of the School of Philosophy and Cultural Studies, said: ‘HSE University’s leading position is a testament to the exceptional professionalism of its staff. It also speaks to the fact that despite emerging negative trends in the management of humanities knowledge, there is still strong potential for considering current events and bringing various ideas to a wide audience. Our achievements are the result of joint work by Faculty of Humanities staff, as well as by colleagues in other HSE University educational and research departments engaged in the work of numerous international laboratories, research institutes and centres who are implementing all kinds of projects in the fields of philosophy, cultural studies, philology, linguistics, and history. But the main thing is that humanities scholars are, first and foremost, actively writing authors with a good knowledge of foreign languages, and that writing articles and monographs is the key result of almost all research projects. To maintain our positions in the ranking, we need to retain human capital, professional scientists, and promising early-career researchers. This means not closing projects, but supporting existing projects in every way possible and opening up new opportunities. This attracts undergraduate and doctoral students who want to join academia and pursue basic research, and it guarantees them a certain stability.’

Among Russian universities, HSE University achieved good results not only in its traditionally strong social and humanities subjects, but also in the natural sciences, ranking second in Mathematics and Medicine, third in Artificial Intelligence, fifth in Computer Science, and eighth in Biochemistry. The university appeared in twenty corresponding subject rankings in the AC Expert national ranking of research productivity.

A total of 147 Russian universities appeared in the ranking—an increase of 10 over last year.

The ranking of Russian universities was first published in 2016. It compares the bibliometric activity of more than 100 universities in various subject areas. Calculation of the rankings involves an assessment of universities’ scientometric indicators in four equally weighted categories: growth quality, excellence, scale, and demand. This year, the 17 existing broad subject areas were supplemented with six rankings for narrower subjects: Agriculture, Biochemistry, Renewable Energy, Artificial Intelligence, and Metallurgy and Fuel.