Research Collaboration Index
A worked example using real, public data for Northwestern University (United States), a Platinum-band university.  See a world-leading example (Oxford) →

The enhanced fact file

Your entire collaboration network, read like a strategist would.

Not a scorecard. A dossier that tells a university leader exactly where the strengths, the risks and the fundable opportunities are, every figure sourced from the open research record.

โ—† Platinum standing · Research Collaboration Index
๐ŸŒ North America · 251 universities benchmarked
56,490
co-authored works, 5 years
1,135
partner universities
79
partner countries
954
sustained deep ties
3.73
collaboration impact (FWCI)
91%
of partners non-redundant

The one-screen strategic read

Where you stand, at a glance.

The first thing a leader needs is not more data, it is a verdict. Three strengths to lead with, three challenges to manage, three opportunities to act on, each drawn straight from the network below.

Strengths
  • Chemistry is the standout field. Ranked #13 in the world for connected research, with Health Professions #22, Materials Science #28 close behind: the anchors to build consortia around.
  • Strong on influence and impact. Northwestern University sits in the 95th percentile for influence and the 95th for impact: genuine, defensible strengths.
  • A genuine bridge, not just a hub. 234 of 256 partners (91%) are non-redundant, so it connects communities that would not otherwise meet.
Challenges
  • International is the softest pillar. At the 54th percentile it sits clearly below the others: the single clearest place to build.
  • Physical Sciences & Engineering is the at-risk domain. World #418 for connected research, far behind the rest of the portfolio: a real gap, not a crown jewel.
  • Network concentration. The top two partner countries (United States and United Kingdom) carry about 84% of collaboration volume: depth, but a thin long tail.
Opportunities
  • Win HKU. World top-1. University of Hong Kong is top-146 globally in Health Sciences. Route: NSF / NIH international collaboration supplements, or a Human Frontier Science Program grant.
  • Win CUHK. World top-3. Chinese University of Hong Kong is top-132 globally in Health Sciences. Route: NSF / NIH international collaboration supplements, or a Human Frontier Science Program grant.
  • Convert your highest-yield tie. Harvard University returns the highest impact of your partners (FWCI 8.4). Formalise it into a funded consortium to compound impact, not just volume.

Scholarly weight

The impact behind the network

Collaboration only counts if the work lands. This is the citation weight of everything produced with partners, the substance under the network.

1,441
h-index of the joint research base
35.6M
citations to co-authored work
3.73
field-weighted citation impact (FWCI)
56,490
co-authored works, 2021-2025
74
collaboration efficiency, impact per tie

Visualisation 1

Your collaboration profile

Seven pillars, each shown as a global percentile. The dashed ring marks the top-decile benchmark; anything inside it is a genuine, defensible strength.

Influence95th pctReach90th pctDiversity80th pctSustained90th pctImpact95th pctInternational54th pctBrokerage61st pct

Northwestern University is strongest on influence (95th percentile), impact (95th) and sustained (90th). Its brokerage diagnostic shows 234 of 256 partners (91%) are non-redundant, a genuine bridge between communities rather than a wide publisher.

The pillar to watch is International (54th percentile), the softest of the six and the clearest place to build.

Source: the open global research record, co-authored works 2021–2025, fractional counting

The anatomy of your standing

Exactly what your position is built from

Six pillars, each weighted, combine into one standing index. Nothing is hidden: this is the entire calculation, in a single bar.

InflImpaSustReacDiveEach block is a pillarโ€™s weighted contribution; together they place the university in the Platinum band worldwide.
Influence22% weight95th pct+20.9
Impact18% weight95th pct+17.1
Sustained18% weight90th pct+16.2
Reach16% weight90th pct+14.4
Diversity16% weight80th pct+12.8
International10% weight54th pct+5.4

Brokerage is reported alongside as a diagnostic, not folded into the score, so a university cannot inflate its standing simply by publishing widely. It measures whether you connect communities that would otherwise stay apart.

Visualisation 2

Where you lead the world, by field

Each subject placed on a log scale of world rank (1 to 1,195). The further left, the more globally central. Gold marks a top-50 standout, blue a solid position.

#1#10#100#1000Chemistry13Health Professions22Materials Science28Medicine35Immunology & Microbiolโ€ฆ37
Standout (top 50)Solid (top 150)Ranked

Northwestern University's strongest connected fields are Chemistry #13, Health Professions #22, Materials Science #28. The portfolio leans on health & medicine; Physical Sciences & Engineering, at world #418 in the deep-dive below, is the clear at-risk area, exactly the gap this chart surfaces.

Source: subject-level indices, 26 fields, minimum 50-university gate

Discipline deep-dive

How you collaborate, faculty by faculty

The same network split into its four broad domains, each with its world rank for connected research and the five partners it leans on most. This is the view a dean or pro-vice-chancellor acts on.

Health & Medicine
World #52 for connected research
96/100
Top collaboration partners
๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ Harvard University2,172
๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ Johns Hopkins Universโ€ฆ1,922
๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ University of Pennsylโ€ฆ1,883
๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ University of Califorโ€ฆ1,710
๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ University of Michigan1,655
Life Sciences
World #167 for connected research
86/100
Top collaboration partners
๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ Harvard University725
๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ University of Chicago573
๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ Stanford University428
๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ University of Washingโ€ฆ426
๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ University of Michigan425
Physical Sciences & Engineering
World #418 for connected research
65/100
Top collaboration partners
๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ University of Chicago1,241
๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ Caltech703
๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ MIT647
๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ Johns Hopkins Universโ€ฆ535
๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ University of Minnesoโ€ฆ500
Social Sciences
World #321 for connected research
73/100
Top collaboration partners
๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ Harvard University451
๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ University of Chicago364
๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ Stanford University305
๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ University of Michigan292
๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ University of Pennsylโ€ฆ275
Source: domain-level co-authorship, partner institutions 2021–2025

Visualisation 3

Which partnerships actually pay off

Every anchor partner plotted by collaboration volume against the citation impact of the joint work. The prize quadrant is top-right: high volume and high impact. The bottom-right is the trap: a lot of output, little impact.

Joint works (collaboration volume) →Impact (FWCI) →high yieldHarvard UniversityUniversity of ChicStanford UniversitUniversity of Illi
High yieldStandardLow yield

Harvard University returns the highest impact of the set (FWCI 8.4): a consortium waiting to happen. University of Illinois Chicago, by contrast, is a sizeable partner returning FWCI 3.2: worth asking what that volume is buying.

PartnerJoint worksFWCIYield
๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ Harvard University3,088 8.4High yield
๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ University of Chicago3,080 3.9Standard
๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ Johns Hopkins University2,394 5.6Standard
๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ University of Pennsylvania2,278 7.1Standard
๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ University of Michigan2,241 5.3Standard
๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ Stanford University2,015 8.6High yield
๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ University of California, San Francisco1,999 6.0Standard
๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ University of Washington1,932 5.9Standard
๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ University of Illinois Chicago1,706 3.2Low yield
๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ Washington University in St. Louis1,646 4.8Standard
Source: institution-to-institution co-authorship ledger + field-weighted citation impact

Visualisation 4

Your global reach, and where it thins out

Top partner countries

๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ United States 84,591
๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ง United Kingdom 5,278
๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฆ Canada 4,652
๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ China 3,601
๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ช Germany 2,750
๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ท France 2,692
๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡บ Australia 2,226
๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡น Italy 1,709

Anchor partner institutions

๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ Harvard University 3,088
๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ University of Chicago 3,080
๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ Johns Hopkins University 2,394
๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ University of Pennsylvania 2,278
๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ University of Michigan 2,241
๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ Stanford University 2,015
๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ University of California, San Francisco 1,999
๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ University of Washington 1,932

The network spans 79 countries and 1,135 universities, but the top two carry about 84% of the volume. That concentration is where the resilience question lives, and the Middle East white-space (0 of the region's 2 leading collaborators) is the clearest gap to close.

In Chemistry, the single strongest partnership is ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ University of Chicago, with 84 joint works: the natural anchor for a flagship consortium.
Source: co-authorship by partner-institution country, 2021–2025

Visualisation 6

The partners to win next

Not a generic wish-list. Globally central universities you are not yet deeply partnered with, each with the reason it matters and the specific programme that would fund the collaboration.

๐Ÿ‡ญ๐Ÿ‡ฐ University of Hong Kong Hong Kong SAR · world top-1

University of Hong Kong is top-146 globally in Health Sciences. You have no joint publications yet, and it is a natural, fundable bridge in Chemistry.

Funding route: NSF / NIH international collaboration supplements, or a Human Frontier Science Program grant

๐Ÿ‡ญ๐Ÿ‡ฐ Chinese University of Hong Kong Hong Kong SAR · world top-3

Chinese University of Hong Kong is top-132 globally in Health Sciences. You have no joint publications yet, and it is a natural, fundable bridge in Chemistry.

Funding route: NSF / NIH international collaboration supplements, or a Human Frontier Science Program grant

๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡บ The University of Queensland Australia · world top-12

The University of Queensland is top-69 globally in Health Sciences. You have no joint publications yet, and it is a natural, fundable bridge in Chemistry.

Funding route: NSF / NIH international collaboration supplements, or a Human Frontier Science Program grant

๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฌ Nanyang Technological University Singapore · world top-14

Nanyang Technological University is top-538 globally in Health Sciences. You have no joint publications yet, and it is a natural, fundable bridge in Chemistry.

Funding route: NSF / NIH international collaboration supplements, or a Human Frontier Science Program grant

Source: network white-space analysis + funder-programme mapping

The research base

The ecosystem behind the collaboration

A partnership does not plug into a name, it plugs into a base: the affiliated hospitals, presses, institutes and archives, and the research themes where the joint work concentrates.

Lurie Children's HospitalCentral DuPage HospitalShirley Ryan AbilityLabJohn H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook CountyNorthwestern Medicine Lake Forest HospitalCenter for Light Energy Activated Redox ProcessesNorthwestern University in QatarNorthwestern Memorial Hospital
Physics and AstronomyNeuroscienceMedicineEngineering

Context

Your competitive set, and your signature research

Benchmarked against

The named peer group your fact file compares you to, pillar by pillar and subject by subject.

๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ University of California, DavisUnited States
๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฆ McMaster UniversityCanada
๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ Shanghai Jiao Tong UniversityChina
๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฆ University of CalgaryCanada
๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฟ University of AucklandNew Zealand

Signature joint research

The most-cited work produced with partners, each verifiable.

Particle physics theoretical and experimental studiesNeuroscience and Neuropharmacology ResearchHigh-Energy Particle Collisions ResearchQuantum Chromodynamics and Particle InteractionsCardiovascular Function and Risk FactorsMuscle activation and electromyography studies

From insight to action

A 90-day plan, written from the data.

The dossier ends where a strategy meeting begins: three moves, sequenced, each pointing back to a specific finding above.

0-30 days
Name the target

Adopt HKU and a Middle East hub as formal partnership targets; brief the relevant deans with the joint white-space evidence.

30-60 days
Open the funding route

Scope the specific programme for each target, and turn the Harvard University tie into a consortium concept in Health & Medicine.

60-90 days
Interrogate the soft spots

Address the international gap and the physical sciences & engineering weakness; set a diversification target for the long tail; and secure an editorial feature in the reputation-survey window.

Subject Award spotlight

Celebrating your significant contributions

We have identified the partnerships below as candidates for the Subject Awards, for a significant contribution to connected research. Each is anchored to a real, cited joint paper, with the lead author taken from that paper's own authorship record.

Chemistry · candidate
with ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ University of Chicago
★ Jian Liu

MOF-enabled confinement and related effects for chemical catalyst presentation and utilization

2022 · 364 citations

Their most-cited joint work, on metal-organic frameworks: synthesis and applications, has been cited 364 times and anchors a 84-paper partnership in chemistry.

See the Chemistry candidates →
These are candidates, not winners. The full slate is undergoing complete review by our editorial team ahead of the awards, and the Subject Awards are exclusive to partner universities.

Your fact file

Claim the full fact file for Northwestern University.

Everything above is the open view. The full partner fact file goes further: every ranked subject and subfield, the complete partner ledger with yield, your named academics and their signature work, the funder-by-funder route map for each target, and this same dossier on up to ten named rivals.

Partner fact file · locked

Unlocked for partners. Confirm before 12:00, 22 July 2026 to be included at the 1 September launch.

Claim your fact file →

Free to claim and verify your data. No obligation. Your ranking is unaffected by partnership, and always will be.

Exclusive to partners

Plus this same dossier on up to 10 of your rivals.

Every partnership includes the full intelligence on your named competitive set, their strengths, their funders, their white-space, so you can see exactly where you lead and where to close the gap. Two rivals with Recognition, five with Partnership, up to ten with Flagship.

Your research, in front of 172,000 academics, with full reporting.

Partnership also places your research as editorial features in the Research Network Report, our newsletter to a verified global academic audience, timed to the reputation-survey season. Every send comes with a full performance report: opens, clicks and geography, benchmarked against the edition.

The Research Network Report

172,000
verified academic subscribers worldwide
Nov–Jan
timed to the reputation-survey season
Full report
opens, clicks and geography on every feature

See your own dossier, built for your university.

Submit your data and we will build and review your enhanced fact file with you, then show exactly how a partnership turns it into advantage, before the index goes public on 1 September 2026.

Request a partnership conversation →
Global Research Partnerships · globalresearchpartnerships.com/rci · Built on the open global research record and the award data of the world's major funders. Methodology.