The University of Liverpool has been ranked fifth in the UK’s first University Global Health Research League Table.
The University is the highest ranked institution outside Oxford and London.
The league table is based on Medical Research Council (MRC) grant income from 2010-11 and the proportion invested into public health research.
Universities were graded using criteria measuring research funding and output, including the level of investment in global health research and research in neglected diseases that affect primarily the world’s poorest; whether they share new discoveries in ways that ensure medicines reach people in developing countries at affordable prices; and how much of their research is freely available online.
They found that the University devotes 4.22% and 22.78% of its research funding towards research for health in developing countries and neglected diseases, respectively. This compares to a national average of 2% and 1.7%. Across assessed metrics, Liverpool ranked 4th for innovation but 10th for access.
The University of Oxford came out top of the table, followed by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and Imperial College London.
The full League Table, produced by student group Universities Allied for Essential Medicines and charity and student network Medsin-UK, ranks the top 25 universities is available online at www.globalhealthgrades.org.uk.
