Introduction
When we think about some of the top universities in the world, we mainly keep in mind the quality of education that students receive there, but also the amount of money it takes in order to support the tuition and how challenging it is to get admitted with all the talented young people that submit their applications. However, universities are temples of knowledge, therefore, it’s necessary to put that knowledge to use by making positive changes in the world. Since the change always starts from within, we decided to create a list of the top 10 most innovative universities in the world.
Stanford University
The famous Californian university is the first most innovative academic institution on Reuters’ list four years in a row now. For decades, Stanford delivered revolutionary changes in our world, from the development of TCP/IP protocols that are the basics of our internet communication system to the deployment of the first world wide web server outside the European continent, university researchers filed 691 patents throughout the years.
The latest additions in the field of innovation include development of AI camera systems and drug testing software that can predict drug interactions for patients that require multiple-drug treatments. It’s not by accident that Silicon Valley holds some of the best colleges in the world in their proximity.
Harvard University
The oldest higher education entity in the United States is the second addition to our list with more than 900 filed patent requests of which more than 30 percent are already granted. The most recent development in the field of robotics that this institution had produced is robotic cockroach which has the ability to walk on ground, surface of the water, and sink beneath the surface of the water thanks to multifunctional pads. Another reason why Harvard is one of the top colleges in the world is the number of donations that this institution receives for scientific research. According to annual financial reports, Harvard receives $800 million from various sponsors to invest in the development of new technologies.
University of Washington
The highest ranking public university in the US with years of successful research programs backed by hundreds of millions of $US by both public and private entities is home to students that usually don’t look for help with university assignment at Edubirdie. Among many innovations and scientific research, one of the best universities in the world recently came up with RoboFly, a wirelessly controlled insect with wings powered by a laser beam.
KU Leuven
Founded in the 15th century as one of the first Catholic universities, the Belgian higher education institution is one of the most innovative colleges in Europe and the rest of the world. Today, KU Leuven is open to students of all faith; students can pick thesis topics in education oriented environment disregarding the religious history of the institution. Hundreds of millions of euros each year pour into the university research fund, allowing the development of chip-size blood analysis devices that can help doctors in developing countries perform blood tests much easier and cheaper.
University of North Carolina Chapel Hill
The first state university in the United States is now one of the leading research facilities for Immunology in the world. In cooperation with their Italian colleagues from Milan, the scientists at UNC developed cancer-killing cells using advanced genetic engineering methods. This astonishing scientific breakthrough allows the destruction of brain cancer cells but the researchers hope to expand the potency of their finding. The next goal is to develop a treatment for glioblastoma which would make the most lethal type of brain tumor a treatable disease.
Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology (KAIST)
South Korea is one of the most technologically advanced nations in the world, mostly thanks to KAIST which is the first academic institution focused on science-research and engineering. The core of the university research focus is on the development of AI and robotics. While many universities organize sporting events to show the power of their athletic potential, KAIST organized AI World Cup where teams competed in soccer matches using AI controlled robotic players.
Imperial College London
A public university located in Great Britain’s capital is home to more than 17 thousand students from all over the world. The college is research-oriented, meaning it spends a significant amount of its resources on the development of new technologies. The recent partnership with Evgen Pharma started the pursuit of a drug that will help doctors to fight breast tumor and various types of strokes. Moreover, scientists at ICL also spend a significant amount of time developing cleaner methods of oil and gas production and use.
University of Southern California
Pharmaceuticals and Biotech field of research is one of the most fruitful areas of innovation and development within USC. Among numerous patents that the scientists at this university have filed, a perhaps more notable breakthrough is depicted in a revolutionary method of breast cancer identification. The researchers used machine learning technology in order to teach the machine to identify various markers for cancer cells. This way the identification process reduces from one week to a job that takes only a day to complete.
Duke University
As we near the end of our list it’s clear that top universities in the world operate with significant research budgets, mainly through donations and sponsorship programs. Duke University is among the best-budgeted colleges on our list with more than $1.2 billion spent on research in 2017, alone. However, all that money is going in the right hands, judging by the results that scientists at this university deliver to the community. Recently, the engineers at Duke managed to produce the most energy-efficient fuel vehicle. The project called “Maxwell” represents a car that runs on hydrogen and manages to deliver 14,573 miles driving distance using one gallon of fuel.
Johns Hopkins University
The scientists at Johns Hopkins are among the busiest in the world, dedicating their time to projects that take time and constant work but deliver great results. The Applied Physics department at JHU managed to design and build a spacecraft that is currently on its course to our Sun’s atmosphere and will ultimately become the fastest man-made object, as the Sun’s gravity becomes stronger. Furthermore, the Biomedical and Neuroengineering departments created electronic skin, which will help amputees feel the objects they touch with their prosthetic limbs.
Conclusion
We hope you enjoyed our list and reading about the latest achievements of the world’s top innovative universities. Thousands of students every year submit their applications for these institutions because they provide education that is beyond the competition. On the other side, the college leaders place their faith in newcomers to keep the torch of knowledge blazing. Therefore, in order to gain access to one of these universities you have to be the best of the most exceptional.
Bio:
Robert Everett is a freelance content writer dedicated to creating informative and creative articles for publishers all over the world. His main focus is on innovations and new technologies that revolutionize existing processes. Through his work, the audience can learn about the latest developments in industries that shape our way of life.