PETALING JAYA: Two Malaysian universities have claimed top spots in the latest edition of the Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings 2023.
Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) maintained its position among the top five universities on the THE Impact Rankings 2023 overall top 100 list, sitting comfortably at number four.
USM is also the country's highest-ranked university in nine out of the 17 United Nations sustainable development goals (SDG) and comes first for SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions).
This is based on its research on peace and justice, participation as advisers for the government and policies on academic freedom.
In addition, USM ranks sixth for SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals), seventh for SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), eighth for SDG 1 (No Poverty), 42nd for SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), 51st for SDG 14 (Life Below Water), 55th for SDG 3 (Good Health and Well Being), 65th for SDG 15 (Life on Land) and 89th for SDG 13 (Climate Action).
Some of the ranks are shared with other universities.
Besides USM, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) ranks first for SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy).
The fifth edition of the rankings were released on Thursday (June 1) by THE, publisher of the globally recognised THE World University Rankings, assessed institutions worldwide on their commitment to the world's greatest challenges as listed in the UN 17 SDGs.
It assesses university commitment to sustainability across four broad areas - research, stewardship, outreach and teaching.
Western Sydney University is the overall top university in the world.
THE chief knowledge officer Phil Baty said: "The growth in participation from Asean has been rapid and hugely impressive, with participation more than tripling since 2000.
"This gives rise to real optimism that Asean can become a global hub of excellence in the drive for a better, more sustainable future for us all.
"It is inspiring to see even more universities participate and see countries that don't normally rank so highly do so well."
A record 1,705 universities from 115 countries/regions were assessed.
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