Nature Index Supplements

Australia’s research ecosystem is facing unprecedented challenges. Government investment in R&D remains lower than in many leading science nations, and universities across the country are reporting dwindling enrolments. An exercise to overhaul national evaluation and assessment frameworks offers a chance to rethink Australia’s priorities in research.

Our annual look at the world’s leading cities for research output in Nature Index journals shows China’s major urban centres are moving from strength to strength, but they are now also being joined by smaller provincial Chinese cities at the top of the rankings. The supplement also considers the first results on leading cities for health sciences.

Benefitting from advanced imaging and modelling techniques and genetic tools that enable targeted research, neuroscience has undergone remarkable progress in recent decades. But fundamental questions about how cognitive function emerges from patterns of brain activity remain unsolved, which limits treatment options for neurological conditions. As large-scale neuroscience initiatives in some countries wind down, enthusiasm for cutting-edge implantable devices is ramping up, and time will tell if the United States' lead in this area can be challenged.

The rapid adoption of chatbots such as ChatGPT in mainstream society have placed artificial intelligence (AI) front and centre of the public debate on science in the past two years. Consequently, these tools and other developing AI technologies are raising important questions for the future of research itself. This supplement takes a look at these issues and the latest Nature Index data on the field.

South Korea stands out among the leading countries in the Nature Index for its big investments in research and development and strong history in innovation. But the country is facing major challenges, including dwindling student numbers, stark gender imbalances and cultural factors that undermine its ability to foster a more diverse research ecosystem. As it doubles down on international collaborations in strategic areas, South Korea is now looking to reaffirm its place as a global leader in science.

China's status at the summit of the Nature Index remains unrivalled as the gap between it and the United States grows. The key question is where Chinese research will go next. As the nation seeks international recognition for its scientific achievements, betting big on large-scale experiments, it is also carving its own path in publishing and partnerships. Time will tell how these strategies will shift the status quo of the global research landscape.

More money is being spent on medical R&D than ever before, but with few new drugs to show for it. The race is on to find technological solutions that will speed up drug development and deliver better clinical outcomes. Nature Index Health Sciences 2024 highlights the people and projects that are bringing fresh perspectives to some of the most complex challenges in medicine and provides an in-depth look at how one country – the United States – is dominating the field.

Good science is not limited to wealthy countries and research in the global south is too often ignored, to the detriment of innovation and discovery everywhere. This supplement discusses the strategies that aim to level the playing field in research funding, publishing and agenda-setting and highlights hubs of untapped potential in global north-south collaboration.

Institutions in major cities can play a crucial role in helping rural areas build resilience in the face of climate change and other global challenges. Nature Index Science Cities 2023 explores how leading Science Cities are helping to drive this regional development, supported by scientists who are breaking down urban–rural barriers.

China’s rapid rise in the Nature Index is unparalleled, but where does it go to from here? Can the United States and India partner up to reach new heights? Nature Index Rising Stars 2023 explores the countries and institutions that have exceeded expectations in their high-quality research output.

Climate and conservation scientists are bringing real progress to the fight against global warming, despite political and funding obstacles. But greater support for strategic, multidisciplinary research is needed, if the world wants to improve its performance on the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

A cornerstone of scientific activity in many countries, cancer research is producing game-changing work for universal gain. But inequalities in the field risk blunting its potential to save lives. This Nature Index supplement explores the techniques that are fuelling a treatment revolution and the countries that are fighting for their place in global cancer research, against the odds.

China has surpassed the United States to become the leading nation in the Nature Index. This supplement highlights the research achievements of a country on the rise, which is broadening and deepening its capacity in areas such as environmental science and life sciences. But as the world emerges from the fog of the pandemic, will China stay centre-stage for international research collaboration?

Japan is the world’s third largest economy, but for years now it has lagged in science and research compared to smaller economies such as Germany and the United Kingdom. This Index looks at the encouraging signs that Japanese STEM is bouncing back, examining the policies and trends behind this success. Can Japanese science compete with regional rivals such as China and South Korea? What does it need, beyond money, to achieve success?

Gene therapy – the science of substituting faulty or missing genes for functioning versions to prevent genetic diseases – has been in and out of fashion for decades. Half a century ago, it was full of promise, but then a series of setbacks tempered the enthusiasm. Now, however, scientist are making genuine advances to effectively treat previously stubborn diseases. This is indicative of the field of biomedical sciences in general; long pursued innovations are finally reaching maturity with the potential of application. This Index looks at the current state of biomedical science around the world and what its renaissance might mean for patients.

Innovation – the practice of turning cutting edge basic research into inventions with real world application – is the driver of knowledge economies. If innovation stagnates, that spells bad news for the wider economy, a fact which is increasingly salient as the world faces a recession. This Index looks at the current state of innovation around the world as we emerge from the pandemic – what successes can be replicated? How can China’s economy become more innovative? And what do the numbers say about the relationship between academia and innovation?

This Index looks at the policy, politics and science behind the world’s leading cities for output of high quality research. China fares well; Beijing continues to lead the pack and Shanghai is in 3rd place. The United States, however, managed to keep hold of the other three spots in the top five, buoyed by a strong performance in the biological sciences, thanks to the development of COVID-19 vaccines in the greater Boston area.

The field of artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics research is new and consequently it’s expanding at a rapid rate. We look at this growth and how it’s impacting other disciplines, most notably medicine and engineering. There are questions, however, over whether or not AI technology is benefiting all parts of society with claims that rural areas are being neglected.’.

The global energy crisis lends urgency to many nations’ plans to decarbonise, shifting from fossil fuels to greener options. Collaboration, not just between countries, but across sectors, is key to bringing new energy technologies into homes and workplaces, while also ensuring that vulnerable and remote populations can benefit from cheaper and more sustainable options.

With the right building blocks, nanoscience can revolutionize industries, whether it’s driving a new era in computing, boosting crop resilience or advancing medical innovations. But public buy-in can be a significant hurdle. To address the world’s biggest challenges using its smallest components, the scientific community must address misconceptions and creeping ‘nanophobia’.

With huge budgets, world-class facilities and a long history of scientific excellence, the leading five countries in the Nature Index (US, China, Germany, UK and Japan) also rely on global collaborations to address global challenges.

Their goals may be different, and so may the paths they are taking to reach them, but the universities aged 50 and under featured in this Nature Index supplement are proof that youth need not be a barrier to strong research performance.

Key to Canada’s strength as a leading science nation is its high-quality research, informed by its vast natural resources. But the country is losing ground in areas where it held an early lead.

COVID-19 has brought new urgency to the study of infectious disease. This Nature Index supplement shines a light on some of the research, and the people and institutions behind it, that aims to reduce the staggering human and economic cost of communicable disease.

Many of the world’s leading science cities are active in research related to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Researchers are rethinking the nature and potential of matter. From new metal mixes that form more efficient catalysts to bio-inspired super-black products, their work is driving advances in manufacturing, drug discovery and product design.

China's successes in space, quantum technologies and cutting-edge chemistry underline its superpower status in research. As political tensions affect collaborations, we see signs of a slowdown in the country's remarkable growth in research output.

Sustainability, climate change and biomedical science are key areas for future research prowess in Asia Pacific. While the pandemic has disrupted collaborations in far-flung nations, it's highlighted opportunities for joint initiatives in South and southeast Asia.

As investments and revenues soar year-on-year and nations vie for leadership in the field of artificial intelligence, research output continues its steep, upward trajectory. But there are significant ethical and technical challenges to overcome.

Germany's position as a research giant is defined by its strong and steady science funding and long-term investment in basic research.

Nature Index Science cities showcases the top 100 cities in the Nature Index and the stories of success behind the top 5, examining their strengths, challenges and paths ahead.

A concerted government push to make South Korea an innovation leader, backed by strong investment and systemic reform, has brought rapid and long-lasting results.

This supplement features stories of success and challenges in the hard-fought and expensive race to increase survival rates. But it’s not all good news - improved treatments may still be out of reach in the countries where 70% of global cancer deaths occur.

The materials that will give rise to the industries of the future are taking shape in laboratories around the world, but how many of them will get to market?

This supplement explores the effects of political instability and escalating trade tensions on US-China and UK-EU research collaborations, and highlights the most successful 'big science' players in high-energy physics, genomics and oncology.

This supplement highlights the world’s leading young universities (aged 50 and under) in the natural sciences in the Nature Index, and explores the research and the strategies behind their success.

The biomedical sciences have helped global average life expectancy rise by 20 years since 1960.

Japan is looking to other countries in its efforts to arrest the alarming decline in its high-quality scientific research.

China’s rise is the story of the century in science.

Nature Index 2018 Science Cities profiles five science cities that are leaders in their regions. But each is contending with problems of equity and engagement that need to be addressed to keep them strong.

Creative minds drive the scientific enterprise. In recognition of their leading role, Nature Index 2018 Rising Stars profiles up-and-coming researchers in the natural sciences.

The US remains by far the largest producer of high quality Earth and environmental sciences research, but China’s output has grown rapidly since 2012 to take over second place from the United Kingdom.

Nature Index 2018 Japan reveals that some of Japan’s smallest institutions are among the most efficient in the production of high quality scientific research, though the decline in Japan’s high quality scientific research output continues. The supplement examines reform efforts in light of the country’s aim to become a “super-smart” society.

Nature Index Science Inc. 2017 investigates the changing role of corporate institutions in the world of science and the costs and benefits to high-quality research of these evolving arrangements.

Nature Index 2017 United States reveals that the country’s output of high-quality research in the natural sciences has declined over the past five years, following on from long-term declines in federal funding for research and development. At the current pace, China could overtake the US as the top contributor to the Nature Index within a decade.

Nature Index 2017 Science Cities explores the high-quality research being produced by 10 cities in the natural sciences. We chose them for their strong scientific credentials, metropolitan flair and global connections.

Saudi Arabia is already the scientific leader of the Arab world, but it is not standing still. Through investment in research and education — and a new focus on maximizing the commercial value of its academic prowess — the country is beating a path to reducing its reliance on oil.

Nature Index 2017 Innovation examines the connection between high-quality research and the commercialization of new products and services. In particular, it highlights the use of references to academic literature in patents to show concrete links between discovery and its economic potential.

Nature Index 2017 China looks beyond the country’s impressive performance in key metrics and examines how it holds up in other factors that contribute to a functioning research ecosystem, such as collaboration, willingness to make data and research open, science communication and sound science policy.

Nature Index 2017 Japan reveals that although the country is still among the upper echelons of global research, its output has continued to slide. This issue examines Japan’s efforts to arrest the decline and return to form as an innovative nation

Nature Index 2016 Collaborations highlights some of the most fruitful collaborations, such as those resulting from the bonds between China and the United States.

Nature Index 2016 Australia and New Zealand highlights these countries’ quality natural science research. The supplement focuses on the cities and institutions that contribute the lion’s share, and examines the factors that drive their success.

Nature Index 2016 Rising Stars identifies the ascendant performers in the world of science, using the power of the Nature Index, which tracks the high-quality research of more than 8,000 global institutions.

In 2015 Saudi Arabia had the largest growth of its region in the production of high-quality research tracked by the Nature Index, propelling the country into a leading position.

Nature Index 2016 Japan shows that the country’s output of high impact research has declined in recent years, in line with a similar fall in science spending. On the positive side, many institutions have built and strengthened partnerships with domestic and international collaborators.

The 2015 Nature Index supplement dedicated to China reveals that the country’s output of high-quality science continues to grow — a trend that shows no signs of slowing.

Nature Index 2015 Collaborations subscribes to the view that scientific collaborations play an increasingly important role in driving world-leading research.

The Nature Index 2014 China supplement examines a snapshot of results from the Nature Index, comparing the cities and institutions within the country that contributed to some of the highest quality research during the previous calendar year.

The Nature Index 2014 Global supplement provides a snapshot of results from the new Nature Index, comparing the countries and institutions around the world that contributed to some of the highest quality research during the previous calendar year.