Universidad Ricardo Palma (URP) has achieved a new milestone in the field of research by securing the prestigious "Third Place" in research among universities in Peru, according to the 2024 edition of the Scimago Rank1. This recognition highlights the commitment and academic excellence that characterize URP, solidifying its position as a leader in scientific research. This ranking, renowned for its rigor and objectivity, evaluates the research, innovation, and social impact of educational institutions, drawing on verifiable data from sources such as Scopus, Patstat, Overton, and PlumX.

For the second consecutive year, URP is present in the Scimago Rank, moving from fourth place nationally in research in 2023 to third place in 2024, establishing itself as the third-best performing university in research in Peru. In the Latin American context, URP stands out in the top segment, occupying the 118th position in research ⁽¹⁾.

The SIR research criterion evaluates the quality and volume of scientific research, the frequency of author publications, the impact measured in citations, and the commitment to open access of scientific production. URP has shown progressive and sustained growth in its scientific output, with over 225 indexed papers in Scopus in 2023 alone ⁽²⁾.

This recognition is particularly significant considering that out of the 97 universities licensed in Peru by SUNEDU, only 30 are evaluated by this ranking. URP's position is a testament to its constant pursuit of academic excellence and its significant contribution to the advancement of research in Peru and the region.

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

Some of the most important results obtained by Universidad Ricardo Palma in the 2024 SCIMAGO rank are:

1. Third place (3°) nationally in the research category (research rank), considering only the university sector ⁽³⁾.
2. Eleventh place (110) nationally in all categories (research rank, innovation rank, and societal rank), considering only the university sector ⁽⁴⁾.

The recognition obtained in the ranking is a tangible testament to our continuous efforts to foster quality research. This remarkable advancement is mainly due to the increase in our scientific publications in high-impact journals, specifically those categorized within Q1 and Q2. This milestone has been made possible by innovative initiatives such as the Special Research Program "100 x 100 URP," which has provided a vital boost to our knowledge generation capacity and contribution to the academic world. This reflects Universidad Ricardo Palma’s commitment to establishing an institutional policy that prioritizes research, creating a university environment with favorable conditions for contributing science to society.

From the Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias Biomédicas (INICIB) at Universidad Ricardo Palma, we contribute significantly to the growth of scientific production and the ranking of our university. This is evidenced by research addressing the main public health problems affecting the Peruvian population, the use of these researches inside and outside Peru, and the improvement of research competencies among our undergraduate and postgraduate students, granting them a promising professional future. Sustained and progressive growth in research is a reality that we must strengthen and promote by staying at the forefront with our programs linked to research, innovation, and technology throughout the university, as well as with appropriate dissemination strategies.

THIRD PLACE NATIONALLY IN RESEARCH

The Scimago rank is published annually. A total of 4,533 universities worldwide, 418 in Latin America, and 30 in Peru were considered. In the case of URP, the Scimago rank places Universidad Ricardo Palma among the top three higher education institutions in the country in research.

URP POSITIONING

In 2023, URP published 226 research papers in high-impact journals indexed in SCOPUS. For an institution to have a presence in one of these areas, it is necessary to exceed the minimum production threshold in the last year.

Achieving this accomplishment is essential through the teamwork of researchers, student participation, clear research vision and policies from the rectorate, through the Vice-Rectorate of Research, and the collaboration of the university community in general.

Figure 1 shows the scientific output of URP in 85 prestigious international journals.

Figure 2 compares URP's results at the national, regional, and global levels.

Figure 3 illustrates the evolution of URP, providing a quick overview of its scientific performance in recent years. The research ranking refers to the volume, impact, and quality of the institution's research output. The innovation ranking is calculated based on the number of patent applications by the institution and the citations its research output receives from patents. Finally, the societal ranking is based on the number of web pages of the institution's website and the number of backlinks and mentions on social networks.

The research experience at Universidad Ricardo Palma demonstrates scheduled, progressive, and continuous growth developed over a short period, building and expanding its collaborative research network globally. ⁽²⁾ An opportunity for growth and improvement for URP lies in the areas of innovation and patents, as well as in increasing its presence in social media. The specific field of Medicine represents a potential that deserves special attention to integrate, ascend, and regain positions.

The present and future challenge is how to strengthen and deepen strategies to continue improving the quality and scientific output of the university, its academic journals, and its researchers to achieve higher international standards. There are increasingly better tools available that can contribute to the development of research, which can be incorporated and made available to researchers and students. Investing appropriately in research is investing in transforming the present and future of universities.

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