Scientific research has always played a fundamental role in promoting health and the progress of society as a whole. A recent editorial published in The Lancet has discussed plausible research scenarios and outlined a vision of the future in which research could be an instrument for an "equitable and sustainable world with better health for all" ⁽¹⁾.

On this occasion, we share in a special way the results obtained in the Scimago Institutions Rankings (SIR) 2023 or International Ranking of Research Institutions worldwide, called SIR Word Report. SCIMAGO is a scientific, objective, international organization with recognition and prestige ⁽²⁾.

This ranking is divided into five sectors: government, health, higher education, private, and others. For each, it measures areas such as: research results, international collaboration, normalized impact, and publication rate. This ranking classifies research institutions and positions them through a summary indicator that combines a series of variables belonging to three large areas: Research (50% of the final score), Innovation (30% of the final score) and Social Impact. (20% of the final score), the latter measured considering the visibility of their web pages and social networks.

We are pleased to show the results obtained as Universidad Ricardo Palma, in this SCIMAGO 2023 ranking: (March 6, 2023)

1. Eleventh place (11°) at the national level in all categories (research rank, innovation rank, and societal rank) taking into account all sectors (government, health, universities, companies, non-profit).
https://www.scimagoir.com/rankings.php?country=PER§or=all
2. Eighth place (8°) at the national level in all areas (research rank, innovation rank and societal rank) taking into account only the university sector.
https://www.scimagoir.com/rankings.php?country=PER§or=Higher%20educ
3. Fifth place (5°) at the national level in the research category (research rank), it considers all institutions (universities and non-universities).
https://www.scimagoir.com/rankings.php?country=PER&ranking=Research§or=all
4. Fourth place (4°) at the national level in the research category (research rank), taking only the university sector.
https://www.scimagoir.com/rankings.php?country=PER&ranking=Research§or=Higher%20educ
5. Third place (3°) at the national level in the area of Medicine, taking only the university sector.
https://www.scimagoir.com/rankings.php?sector=Higher+educ.&country=PER&area=2700&ranking=

The latest edition of the Scimago Institutions Rankings (SIR) indicates that our University occupies leadership positions at the national level. The Ricardo Palma University is among the best houses of higher education in Peru ⁽³⁾.

These achievements in the ranking are the result obtained mainly by the growth of scientific publications in high-impact Q1 and Q2 journals, which have been facilitated by Special Research Programs such as 100 x 100 URP.

We are proud to be part of the Universidad Ricardo Palma and from the Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias Biomédicas (INICIB) we substantially contribute to the growth of scientific production and the ranking of our university. All this is only possible thanks to all the work and vision that Dr. Elio Iván Rodríguez Chávez, as Rector of the Ricardo Palma University, develops, encourages, and promotes. Sustained and progressive growth in research is a reality and we must strengthen and favor programs linked to research, innovation and technology throughout the university for the future, as well as appropriate dissemination strategies.

For an institution to have a presence in one of these areas, it must exceed the minimum production threshold in the last year. In the 2023 edition of the Scimago ranking, the URP is the leader in:

THIRD PLACE NATIONWIDE IN MEDICINE

The Scimago ranking is published annually and considers institutions that have published at least 100 papers in the Scopus database up to two years before the ranking is published. Therefore, for the 2023 edition, publications from 2017 to 2021 were considered.

4,533 universities worldwide were considered, 418 in Latin America and 27 in Peru. In the case of the URP, it was selected as the third-best University in medicine in the country. In addition, this achievement represents the best position in the ranking that our University has had in recent years.

The Scimago ranking places the Universidad Ricardo Palma among the best three houses of higher education in the country in Medicine.

Nationally, the URP reached third place in medicine. These results represent the commitment that the URP has to society and with academic quality through research and innovation ⁽³⁾.

POSITIONING OF THE URP

In the latest ranking edition, the URP is among the best research universities and leads in critical areas such as medicine and education. See tables 1-4.

This result is obtained, among other factors, not only by the significant increase in the university's scientific publications in the 2017-2021 five-year period but also by the increase in publications in journals in the best quartiles (Q1) and the sum of articles published in the 10% most cited journals. During the year 2022, the URP published 159 research papers in high-impact journals indexed in SCOPUS.

These achievements are the result of the efforts made by the teamwork of the researchers, the participation of the students and the vision and the clear research policies of the Rectorate, as well as the collaboration of the university community in general, being the final objective the dissemination of knowledge for the improvement of society.

The increase in collaborative research led by the URP could be evidenced, for example, during the pandemic in which there was an increase in scientific production in response to national and international information needs, targeting geographical areas at higher risk for adverse outcomes, as well as groups of greater vulnerability to COVID-19. The collaboration spectrum included state institutions, hospitals and clinics, research institutes, and national and international universities.

The importance of innovation and the need for results and initiatives to improve the quality of university research are increasingly emphasized. It is essential that research management indicators facilitate the translation of academic research into discovery and applicable social benefit. Within university research, transparency, replicability and the preparation of meaningful reports on the results of the research must be promoted ⁽⁴⁾.

The research experience at the Universidad Ricardo Palma represents a programmed, progressive and continuous growth developed in a short time and building and expanding its collaborative research network at a national and international level ⁽⁵⁾. This growth is not only expressed in the increase in the scientific production of teachers, but has also been transferred to the classrooms with a strengthening of the research courses received by undergraduate students who have various tools that have allowed the increase of the scientific production of the students and of the theses that conclude in a scientific article in SCOPUS/WoS journals.

There is an urgent need for organized measures to continue to improve the quality and scientific output of the university, academic journals and researchers with the aim of achieving higher international standards. Investing adequately in research means transforming the present and the future of universities.

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