The US and China lead the list of most influential researchers

The data company Clarivate Analytics released this Wednesday the list of researchers most influential in the world in 2023, which includes 104 professionals associated with Spanish institutions, seven more than in 2022.

According to the analysis of the Institute of Scientific Information (ISI), carried out using Clarivate data, the list of the most influential is made up of 6,849 researchers from more than 1,300 institutions in 67 countries and regions.

Of that total, the 83.8% of researchers is based in ten countries -among which is not Spain-, while the 72.7% stands at only five, “a concentration of talent” which the study qualifies as “significant”.

The country with the most outstanding researchers in 2023 was once again the United States with 2,669 (37.4%), and although that figure has decreased by almost six points since 2018, “clearly continues to lead the world in terms of research influence”says the report.

In contrast, mainland China remains in second position for the seventh year with 1,275 outstanding researchers in 2023, after registering an increase in 7.9% since 2018 and 1.7% compared to 2022.

These countries are followed on the list by the United Kingdom (8.1%)Germany (4.7%)Australia (4.5%)Canada (3.1%)Netherlands (2.7%)France (2%)Hong Kong (1.7%) and Italy (1.6%)while Spain climbs to 12th place, one more than in 2022.

Among institutions, including government and other types of research organizations, the Chinese Academy of Sciences leads the ranking with 270 influential individuals in 2023, the 18.4% more than last year.

Among the Spanish institutions with the largest number of influential researchers is the Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC), with 20, followed by the University of Barcelona (9) and the University of Granada (6).

“We celebrate the ‘Most Cited Researchers’ whose contributions transform our world by helping to make it healthier, more sustainable and safer.”Clarivate’s president of academia and government, Bar Veinstein, said in a statement.

He recalled that this recognition “not only validates excellence in research”but also “improves reputation, encourages collaboration and informs the allocation of resources, acting as a reference for academic institutions and commercial organizations.”

The evaluation and selection process is based on data from the citation index of “Web of Science”, along with analysis by bibliometric experts and data scientists at Clarivate’s Institute for Scientific Information (ISI).