Nature journal names Ireland one of five ‘up and coming’ destinations for high-level research


21 Jun 2013

Prof Mark Ferguson, director-general of Science Foundation Ireland

Nature, the highly regarded scientific publishing journal, has named Ireland as a top 5 country for up-and-coming high-level research, based on the quality and quantity of scientific research being carried out in its research institutes.

Nature has just released the results of its first annual Nature Publishing Index. This study is an international ranking of research institutes based on the number of articles published in Nature. A special supplement penned by Nature editors selected five countries for a special mention as ‘up and coming in high-level research’, and Ireland was one.

The Nature Publishing Index provides an insight into the quality and quantity of research being carried out by top research organisations across the globe during 2012. Nature created a database to derive rankings based on publication which is freely available online.

“Today’s announcement, based on the quality and quantity of research being carried out by top research organisations across the globe, demonstrates Ireland’s respected international profile among the global science community and shows clear value and recognition of the research being funded,” said Prof Mark Ferguson, director-general of Science Foundation Ireland (SFI).

“Agenda 2020, SFI’s ambitious strategy on the future of science funding in Ireland, has set strategic objectives, one of which is to become the best scientific funding agency in the world at creating impact from excellent research,” Ferguson said yesterday.

“Today’s announcement is a testament to the cutting-edge scientific research being carried out across Ireland’s research institutions. Scientists from across Ireland are today recognised internationally by their peers in one of the most respected and revered scientific journals in the world.”

First published 1869, Nature is a prominent interdisciplinary scientific publication, widely regarded as an academic journal that publishes original scientific research across a wide range of fields.