Dundee University one of Europe's most innovative

Dundee University came out on top for innovation in Scotland. Picture: TSPL

It is the seventh oldest seat of higher education in Scotland but could be the most innovative in the country.

The University of Dundee has been ranked first north of the Border in a new review of educational institutions that do the most to advance science, invent technologies, and help drive the global economy.

The report by news group Reuters of Europe’s 100 most innovative universities ranked Dundee 18th overall, with only Imperial, Cambridge, Oxford and Manchester placed higher in the UK.

The rankings were compiled from more than 600 global organisations – including educational institutions, non-profit charities, and government-funded laboratories – that publish the most academic research.

The candidates were then evaluated on ten different metrics, focusing on academic papers, which indicate basic research, and patent filing, which point to an institution’s ability to apply research and commercialise its discoveries.

The list was then trimmed to only include European universities, and then ranked on performance.

Professor Sir Pete Downes, Dundee’s principal, said: “Innovation and impact are core to our ethos as a university, so obviously it is satisfying to be recognised for that in these rankings.”

Technical universities and colleges dominate the final list, which is topped by KU Leuven, based in Belgium’s Flanders region.

Second was Imperial College London. Edinburgh University was placed at 32 and St Andrews University was at 82.

German universities accounted for 24 of the 100 institutions on the list, more than from any other country.

Meanwhile, a separate report published this week found the University of Dundee contributes more than £740 million to the Scottish economy each year and supports 8,000 jobs across the country.

The economic and social impact study by the Fraser of Allander Institute found that one in 12 jobs in Dundee – and a total of 4,000 in Angus, Dundee, Fife, and Perth and Kinross – are supported by the university’s activities.

In the past decade, the university has created 33 spin-off companies in the local area, many commercialising the university’s scientific expertise.

The study – which was commissioned by the university – also found that for every £1 of Scottish Government funding, the university generated more than £7 for the Scottish economy.