Dutch universities are the third best in the world at attracting cash from big business, according to a new ranking by the Times Higher Education group.

Dutch universities have managed to attract the equivalent of $72,800 per researcher from private industry, the most of all European educational institutions, the research shows. Belgium is second in Europe with $63,700 and Sweden is third with $46,100 per researcher.

Top of the World Academic Summit Innovation Index are the Asian powerhouses of South Korea ($97.900) and Singapore ($84,500). South Africa is in fourth place, behind the Netherlands, with $64,400.

Ivory towers

The high placement for the Netherlands reflects the country’s solid performance in other Times Ed rankings. Although the highest rated Dutch university is currently Leiden in 64th place, 12 of the 13 Dutch universities feature in the top 200. Only the US and Britain have more.

But Britain and the US, despite having the best ranked universities in other Times Ed tables, only generate $13,000 and $25,800 respectively from private industry.

‘Working with business and industry to move their discoveries and ideas from the ivory towers into the real world – and to make a real social and economic impact – has become one of the most important functions of a modern university,’ a spokesman for Times Higher Education said in the press release.

The ranking has been compiled by dividing private industry research budgets by the number of researchers, translating the amounts into dollars and adjusting them for local cost of living effects, the Financieele Dagblad said.

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