KTH Royal Institute of Technology: Survey ranks KTH 42nd in world for sustainability impact
In a global survey of 1,406 universities, KTH was ranked 42nd for its impact in addressing urgent global challenges such as global warming, urbanization and innovation. Published yesterday by Times Higher Education, the fourth annual THE Impact Rankings placed KTH highest in Sweden, and 10th in Europe.
“We’re delighted that KTH strengthened its position in this ranking,” says KTH President Sigbritt Karlsson, who attended the announcement of the rankings last night in Stockholm City Hall—one of the highlights of the three-day THE Innovation & Impact Summit which KTH is hosting this week.
The university’s placement in 2022 THE Impact Rankings is nearly unchanged from the year before, when it ranked 41st, a position that Karlsson credits to long-term and patient work.
“It shows that systematic work with sustainable development at KTH is bearing fruit,” she says. “KTH’s areas of architecture, engineering sciences and teacher training will be significant for the climate issue and different aspects of sustainable development.”
Sigbritt Karlsson speaks at lectern at THE Innovation & Impact Summit this week.
Sigbritt Karlsson addresses THE Innovation & Impact Summit this week. (Photo: Times Higher Education)
The THE Impact Rankings measures the impact of higher education institutions in addressing urgent global challenges, using the UN Sustainable Development Goals as criteria. The assessment extends to research, community outreach, and education and campus operations, providing individual scores for each of the 17 goals.
KTH ranked within the top 20 in several of these goals: 9th in climate action and 18th in sustainable consumption, sustainable cities and communities. KTH ranked 51st in global partnerships for the goals.
“These are areas where KTH research is strong and it shows the benefits of strategic collaboration with industries and the public sector,” Karlsson says.
She says she hopes that the ranking result inspires more good work with sustainable development and societal impact at KTH.
“This gives encouragement for all the teachers, researchers and personnel with a strong commitment to sustainability. Hopefully, others will follow, which will speed up the pace of change.”
Compared with last year’s ranking, KTH’s total score increased from 90.3 to 92.9. The places KTH among the top 3 percent of all universities, compared to the top 3.7 percent last year. A total of 1,406 higher education institutions participated in the survey, compared with 1117 last year.
The highest ranked university in the world is Western Sydney University, Australia, followed by Arizona State University, U.S., and Western University, Canada.