Official Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings Advisors

Official impact
Rankings advisors

Technology Partner for the Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings

The Impact Rankings are the only global source of standardised comparison for impact, available to universities worldwide. Vertigo Ventures has supported Times Higher Education in delivering the rankings since 2018.

SDG Alignment

Universities are ranked against each of the 17 UN SDGs individually, as well as an overall score – our taxonomy supports objective assessment to showcase progress towards each goal

Global Rankings

The Rankings converge universities from all over the world, with increasing numbers of institutions from emerging economics, Asia and Europe. In 2021, 1,240 universities participated – a 30% jump from the previous year!

Annual Announcements

Every year the results are announced in a live session at the THE Innovation & Impact Summit in April, following a live Q&A between THE, Vertigo Ventures and Elsevier

The (UN) SDGs are vital if the world is to transform to a sustainable model of existence, and universities across the world are a vital part of the coalition to achieve the goals. We’ve created this ranking to highlight the excellent work that universities are already doing, but also to act as a spur for further action – highlighting successful work and best practices, and making sustainability a truly strategic goal for universities. Vertigo Ventures have been part of the team that have worked to shape the questions that underpin the rankings, helping us to ensure that we are producing a ranking that is fair, equitable and relevant across the world.

Duncan Ross

Chief Data Officer, Times Higher Education (THE)

Universities participating in the 2021 Impact Rankings

The Impact Rankings are the first global attempt to measure university progress specifically based upon the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). It can be a catalyst for action, a mechanism for holding the university sector to account, and an opportunity for them to highlight great work that they are already undertaking.

At Vertigo Ventures we recognise the strong links between the higher education sector and the UN SDGs. Universities have multiple roles to play in achieving the Global Goals by 2030 – in education, research and as institutions in specific economic and social ecosystems. The impact rankings align with our mission to help leading research organisations capture, measure and report the impact of their work and to drive global recognition of how the sector impacts society on a global level.

The Impact Rankings are designed to be as inclusive as possible: they are open to all universities and institutions which offer undergraduate programmes. They include an overall ranking of universities based on data for SDG 17 plus the best 3 SDGs per university and highlight the top performing universities for each SDG through an individual ranking.

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