The presence of five UPG researchers in this prestigious international ranking, compiled based on citation indicators from the Scopus database, is seen by the university as a new indicator of its scientific capacity and the priority given to research in its development strategy.
The rector of the Polytechnic Institute of Guarda, Joaquim Brigas, stated that "the confirmation, for the second consecutive year, of the interest that the work of researchers from the Polytechnic Institute of Guarda arouses in global academic circles constitutes an important recognition of the scientific capacity we have been building". He further emphasized that "it is a result that values the work of our researchers and our teams and demonstrates that UPG has the competencies and scientific capacity to continue growing and asserting itself both within and outside the country".
The university highlights that this result reflects the work developed by research teams and units, as well as participation in national and international scientific projects and collaboration networks. UPG leads six international and fifteen national projects, and participates in 71 other ongoing projects, with a total investment of 136 million euros in science, of which it directly manages 15.5 million. In recent months, this work has resulted in two national and one international patent applications.
Joaquim Brigas underlined that these results "take on particular significance at the moment we are developing the process of evolving into a University", as scientific research, advanced training, and knowledge transfer are fundamental dimensions of the institutional project. The University aims to combine academic and scientific excellence with a "strong connection to the territory, capable of contributing to innovation, business competitiveness, and regional development".
The "World’s Top 2% Scientists" list is based on standardized citation metrics, such as the h-index and hm-index, extracted from the Scopus database and updated until the end of 2025. The selection considers the top 100,000 scientists by c-score or a percentile of 2% or higher in their subarea. The released version is based on a Scopus snapshot from August 1, 2026.
UPG currently participates in six Research & Development units with positive classification from FCT, four of them rated "Very Good".
