Practical research, applied science unifier of Europe's most innovative unis

London

AT first glance, the most innovative universities in Europe don't appear to have much in common. Some are Catholic schools, some are secular, others are state-run and some are private. One is 920 years old. Another has been an independent institution for less than a decade. They're scattered across the continent, some in large cities, others in rural areas.

The single unifier: Nearly all of them emphasise practical research and applied science, as opposed to pure academics. Technical universities and colleges dominate Reuters' first-ever ranking of Europe's top 100 innovative universities, a list that identifies the educational institutions that are doing the most to advance science, invent new technologies, and help drive the global economy.

The most innovative university in Europe is KU Leuven, a Dutch-speaking school based in Belgium's Flanders region. Founded in 1425 by Pope Martin V, it's the world oldest Catholic university, but its instruction isn't limited to theology. KU's modern mission is comprehensive and advanced scientific research. Open to students of all faiths, it operates autonomously from the Church, and maintains one of the largest independent research and development organisations on the planet.

KU Leuven earned its first-place rank, in part, by churning out a high volume of influential inventions. Its researchers submit more patents than almost any other university in Europe, and outside researchers frequently cite KU Leuven inventions in their own patent applications.

Those are key criteria in the Reuters ranking of Europe's Most Innovative Universities, which was compiled in partnership with the Intellectual Property & Science division of Thomson Reuters.

Some of the top-rated universities on the list were created when larger institutions spun out their technical departments. Imperial College London (ranked No 2) was formerly The Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, part of the University of London. Imperial became fully independent in July 2007, and is now a public research university serving more than 16,000 students from more than 125 countries. It also outperforms its parent - the University of London is ranked No 30 on the Europe Top 100.

Similarly, Switzerland's Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne took its current form in 1968, when it was spun out of the University of Lausanne. Today, EPFL is a federal institute and is obliged to grant admission to every Swiss high-school graduate.

Other top-ranked institutions were specifically created to serve as centres of innovation. Germany's Technical University of Munich (No 5) was founded in 1868 by King Ludwig II of Bavaria, and tasked with driving the kingdom's transition from an agricultural to an industrial state. Today, the school has 37,000 students enrolled across its three locations in Munich, Freising-Weihenstephan and Garching. Thirteen TUM professors and alumni have won a Nobel Prize since 1927, including Rudolf Mössbauer (physics, 1961) and Ernst Otto Fischer (chemistry, 1973).

German universities - technical and otherwise - account for 24 of the 100 most innovative universities in Europe, more than any other country. The UK comes in second with 17 institutions on the list, including the two oldest universities in the English-speaking world: The University of Cambridge, No 3, and the University of Oxford, No 8.

The Republic of Ireland has only three schools on the entire list, but with a population of under five million, it can boast more top 100 innovative universities per capita than any other country in Europe. Trinity College Dublin, No 48, is Ireland's highest-ranked university. REUTERS