IREG Ranking News
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IREG 2020 Beijing Conference
University rankings in the time of uncertainty
Times are in Greenwich Mean Time (GMT)
Tuesday, 20 October
9:00-9:15 OPENING
- Luiz Costa, President, IREG Observatory on Academic Ranking and Excellence
- Liu Gonghui, President, Beijing University of Technology
09:15 – 10:30 First Session
Impact of COVID-19 on higher education (the landscape of higher education emerging from under the pressure of COVID-19)
Moderator: Ellen Hazelkorn, International HE Expert (Ireland)
Speakers:
- Hans De Wit, Boston College (USA)
- Fu Guo, Beijing University of Technology (China)
- Mirko Degli Esposti, Bologna University (Italy)
- Jacob Stoustrup, Aalborg University (Denmark)
10.30 – 10.45 break
10:45 – 11:45 Second Session
Global rankings (part one)
(the state of arts of the main four global rankings; emphasis on expected changes in methodology in the wake of the Covid-19 impact on the higher education)
THE, QS, US News, ARWU
Moderator: Luiz Costa, IREG President (Brazil)
Speakers:
- Robert Morse, US News Global (USA)
- Ben Sowter, QS Rankings (UK)
- Lu Wang, Shanghai Ranking (China)
- Phil Baty, THE World Academic Ranking (UK)
11.45 – 12.00 break
12:00 – 13:00 Third Session
Future of excellence initiatives in the “new reality”
(international cooperation in research has been an important component of excellence initiative’s, will limitations on travel affect them?)
Moderator: Lauritz B. Holm-Nielsen, President, Denmark Foundation to Nature
Speakers:
- Simon Gaskell, UK Quality Assurance Agency (UK)
- Michael Matlosz, EuroScience (France)
- Isak Frumin, Higher School of Economics (Russia)
- Jaroslaw Bosy, Wroclaw University od Life Sciences (Poland)
13:00 – 13:15 break
13:15 – 13:45 Special Session
THE Impact Ranking
Speaker:
- Phil Baty, THE Chief knowledge officer (UK)
Wednesday, 21 October
9:00 – 10:00 Fourth Session
Global rankings (part two)
(the state of the arts of other global rankings; emphasis on expected changes in methodology in the wake of the Covid-19 impact on the higher education) U-Multirank, Three Mission Ranking, CWTS Leiden, Webometrics
Moderator: Waldemar Siwinski, IREG Vice-President (Poland)
Speakers:
- Isidro F. Aguillo, Webometrics (Spain)
- Ludo Waltman, Leiden Ranking (Netherlands)
- Gero Federkeil, U-Multirank (Germany)
- Dmitry Grishankov/Kirill Ivanov, Three University Mission (Russia)
10.00 – 10.15 break
10:15 – 11:30 Fifth Session
National rankings: the state of arts and expected changes with special attention to methodology due to COVID-19
National academic rankings represent a well-established feature of higher education landscape. Due to pandemic COVID-19 this landscape is now forced to reassessment. The effects of this dramatic development are affecting higher education all over the world. It is too early to assess full impact of the “new normal” on our society, it is clear that it is the time to rethink how universities work and what the roles within them should be. There is no doubt that relevant scientific research and flexible teaching will represent an important part of their profile of higher education institutions and programs in the future. Those features will be key aspect of success in the academic rankings. Making this part of methodology of rankings during the pandemic represent added challenge of the COVID-19 crisis. It is indented that this session will be an opportunity to examine proposed changes undertaken by a number of national rankings.
Moderator: Jan Sadlak, former IREG President (France)
Speakers:
- John O’Leary, The Times Good University Guide (the United Kingdom)
- Raghu Raman, Amrita University (India)
- Sonja Berghoff, CHE University Ranking (Germany)
- Stanisław Kistryn, Perspektywy University Ranking – Evolution of its methodology from the university perspective (Poland)
- Samile Andréa de Souza Vanz, University rankings in Brazil (Brazil)
11:30 – 11:45 Special Presentation Elsevier
Research resilience in uncertain times
Speaker:
- M’hamed el Aisati, Vice President, Elsevier
11:45 – 12:00 break
12:00 – 12:45 Sixth Session
Dialog – Impact of COVID-19 on rankings
(discussion of experts on changes COVID-19 may bring to global and national rankings)
- Alex Usher (Canada)
- Richard Holmes (UK/Malaysia)
12:45 – 13:00 IREG Medal Award Ceremony
Introduction: Luiz Costa
Laudatio: Waldemar Siwinski
Honorary Medal Recipient: Isidro F. Aguillo
13:00 – 13:15 CLOSING
Luiz Costa, President, IREG Observatory
IREG 2020 Beijing Conference
University rankings in the time of uncertainty
For almost two decades, the annual IREG conferences have played the role of an independent, global forum on the state of arts in the field of academic rankings. Higher education is now in the process of deep changes in a way it functions. This new situation will certainly affect the world of university rankings. The IREG 2020 Beijing Conference (online) will examine changes, that will come to the academic rankings as the result of the Covid-19 impact on higher education.
Many indicators in ranking methodology will become less important while some new will appear. To answer questions on the future of rankings, IREG Observatory has invited those directly involved in the construction of rankings to share their views on the impending changes. We have also invited outstanding international experts to voice their opinion on the changes that are likely to affect rankings methodology.
If you are interested in university rankings please register (free) for the IREG 2020 Beijing Conference (virtual) – University rankings in the time of uncertainty 20 October 2020. We encourage you to send questions about rankings to


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