World, US, Australia: University News

The TopUniversities.com guide to the latest university news from around the world, on 3 July 2013.

World: Global Innovation Index 2013 – Switzerland still top

The 2013 Global Innovation Index sees Switzerland and Sweden retain the top two spots, followed by the UK, the Netherlands and the US – all three having climbed since last year. Published by the World Intellectual Property Organization, Cornell University and INSEAD, the index uses 84 indicators to measure countries’ innovation capabilities and output. One of these measures is the average score of a nation’s top three universities in the latest edition of the QS World University Rankings. This year’s top 10 is completed by Finland, Hong Kong, Singapore, Denmark and Ireland.

See the full 2013 Global Innovation Index >

US: Study supports affirmative action in university admissions

A new study from researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and University of California supports the use of ‘affirmative action’ in university admissions, reports Diverse: Issues in Higher Education. Critics of affirmative action, which means positively discriminating in order to admit more students from minority backgrounds, argue that students admitted through this process are unlikely to keep pace. However, the study suggests that ‘mismatched’ students – who begin their university career at a relative disadvantage to their classmates – are not more likely to drop out. In fact, those with lower grades who attended more competitive colleges were found to be more likely to stay on, compared to those with equal grades at less competitive universities.

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Australia: Top agriculture students share vision for the future

Over the past three days, 31 of Australia’s leading agriculture students have been meeting to share ideas and experiences, and to participate in workshops covering communication and social media, leadership and career planning. The event also included an online live panel discussion on the branding of agriculture in Australia and the role young people can play, Invest in Australia reports. Attendees were all recipients of a Horizon Scholarship, awarded by the Rural Industries R&D Corporation with the aim of attracting more talented students to study agriculture at university.

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The world’s top 200 universities for agriculture >

Europe: Mixed response to simplified research funding rules

Researchers in Europe have had mixed reactions to the new rules for EU research funding, Nature reports. Under Horizon 2020, the new EU framework for research and innovation, a simplified system will be used to reimburse research institutions for overhead costs such as heating, lighting, rent and maintenance – replacing the current red-tape-heavy system with a simple rule of 25% reimbursement for all. This is likely to benefit institutions with low overheads, but not those with higher operational costs.

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