University rankings: QUT named among best in world

Queensland University of Technology has been named among the best young universities in the world by the prestigious Times Higher Education.
The list, which recognises universities less than 50 years old, ranked the top 150 universities in the world.

Queensland University of Technology has been named among the best young universities in the world. Photo: GLENN HUNT

QUT came in 28th place, making it the second-highest ranked university in Australia, narrowly beaten by the University of Technology in Sydney, which was ranked 21.
Times Higher Education editor Phil Baty said QUT's strong relationships with industry were a big part of its success in the rankings.
"I think the biggest factor pushing them in the rankings is they have really good industry links," he said.
"You get a really strong sense, as a tech uni, they are leveraging relationships with business and industry."

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QUT's successful research and its international relationships also earned it accolades.
"They are doing work that has real-world applications that can be transferred out of the laboratory into the world," Mr Baty said.
"Plus also their international outlook - they are a globally facing university creating strong relationships outside Australia."
Other Queensland universities were also recognised in the list including James Cook University at 38 and Griffith University at 48.
Central Queensland University ranked outside the top 100 but within the top 150.
The Times Higher Education 150 Under 50 ranks universities against 13 performance indicators covering research, teaching, knowledge transfer and international activity.
More than 10,000 senior academics from around the world are surveyed alongside the examination of more than 11 million research papers to assess research excellence.
Australia can boast of the second highest number of universities that made the list with 19 higher education facilities ranking among the top 150.
Mr Baty said Australia's performance in the rankings was impressive but also unsurprising.
"We have been producing this ranking for several years so we have been watching Australia getting stronger and stronger," Mr Baty said.
He said the diverse higher education institutions meant Australia was likely to continue performing well in worldwide rankings.
"The great strength is in the diversity in Australian education," he said.
"You have great universities in Melbourne that are older and the University of Queensland and the traditional older unis doing well but in Australia you also have universities from the '70s, '80s and beyond that are innovative and dynamic.
"They have a very strong international outlook, drawing in global talent, and have good relationships with the west but also with east Asian countries."
The highest-ranked young university in the world was École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne in Switzerland.
The rankings were announced at the Times Higher Education Young Universities Summit at Pompeu Fabra Univerisity in Barcelona, Spain, on Wednesday morning (AEST).
Next year Times Higher Education will bring the rankings announcement to Brisbane during a summit focusing on the strength of young universities to be held at QUT.