What defines research excellence in era of global challenges?

LONDON — The race for global university excellence is entering a new phase. Producing influential research is no longer enough. Universities are increasingly judged by how effectively they transform knowledge into innovation, industry partnerships and real-world impact.

"Leading universities must demonstrate that their work contributes not only to academic scholarship, but also to innovation, industry, public policy and solutions to global challenges," Phil Baty, chief global affairs officer at Times Higher Education (THE), said in a recent interview with The Korea Times. "A modern global research university has to translate its ideas into the real world through intellectual property, industry collaboration and patents." Research has long been the cornerstone of THE's world university rankings, reflecting the organization's original mission of helping governments and university leaders benchmark research competitiveness rather than serving primarily as a guide for prospective students.

"The original concept of the Times Higher rankings was actually for university strategic leaders and