Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) continues to rise up the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings to the 301-350 band. This is the highest placement for UBD to date compared to when it first entered the THE rankings in 2019.
UBD also strengthens its position as one of the best ASEAN universities, ranking 3rd in the region behind National University of Singapore (NUS) and Nanyang Technological University (NTU). This is a commendable feat for a relatively young university proceeding to climb steadily up the ranks amidst an addition of 137 institutions newly ranked by THE this year. UBD ensures that it stays ahead of strong competition with its growing strength in teaching and research.
Out of the five pillars used by THE, UBD demonstrated improvements in Teaching, Research and Industry Income compared to the previous year. International Outlook was the highest ranked pillar, placing UBD 163rd in the world. For both International Outlook and Citations, UBD outperformed 75 percent of all 1,799 institutions ranked by THE. This fortifies the university’s status as an internationally recognised institution excelling in teaching and research. Moreover, UBD was also ranked worldwide in specific disciplines last year, i.e., 201-250 for both Engineering & Technology and Social Sciences, and 401-500 in Physical Sciences.
The university’s latest Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) is 1.43, the highest since 2019. This shows that UBD’s publications currently have 43 percent more impact than the global average. The increase in citations shows the credibility of UBD researchers as well as the importance and reach of their studies worldwide.
UBD’s rise up the ranks is a reflection of the university’s ongoing efforts to improve its teaching and research, producing future-proof graduates relevant to the industry and academics who make significant impact in their respective areas of research and teaching. In order to facilitate high-impact research contributions, UBD provides capacity-building opportunities within and outside the country. Close collaborations with experts from internationally renowned institutions, government, private sectors, various industries and agencies have resulted in active student and staff mobility, robust technology transfer, expansion of professional research and education networks as well as synergistic partnerships with collaborators all over the world.
These efforts include the Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) courses with international partner universities. UBD’s partnership with Virginia Tech (VT) in the United States over the years is a particularly exciting venture as researchers from both sides are leveraging Brunei Darussalam’s rich biodiversity resources to induce advanced bioinspired engineering and digital technologies.
The recently launched UBD-VT Bioinspired Science and Technology Laboratory is an example of how international collaborations are bringing UBD to the forefront of innovation. Empowered by world-class linkages and expertise, UBD is in a position to complement the nation’s digital economy initiatives and preserve biodiversity through the use of novel engineering and technology. On the other hand, an example of a multidisciplinary project is the incorporation of machine learning in health care to address issues related to the quality-of-life of young adults and the elderly. These research activities and many more are in line with the university’s Strategic Plan 2025 “National Relevance, Global Impact” where teaching and research in UBD support the needs of the country by producing highly skilled and experienced academics as an invaluable resource for national development and economic diversity.
In facing the challenges of the fast-paced world head on, it is imperative that UBD takes the necessary steps to provide the latest in its academic offerings. UBD recently launched a new 3-year degree programme in collaboration with Coursera. The Bachelor of Digital Science in Applied Artificial Intelligence will see students undertake digital professional skills training and certifications offered by Google, IBM, etc. via the Coursera platform. In addition, the digital learning platform provides a dashboard to keep track of the skills attained by the students against the necessary skill set required by employers in the Digital Science industry. This is in line with Brunei Darussalam’s Digital Economy Masterplan 2025, which outlines strategies for transforming Brunei into a Smart Nation. A total of 17 projects are currently being implemented under the areas of logistics and transportation, energy, business services, tourism, financial services, digital health, agri-food, education, and halal certification.
UBD Vice Chancellor Dr Hazri Haji Kifle was in New York to attend the THE World Academic Summit where the THE World University Rankings were revealed live on 12 October, 2022. As part of the summit, Dr Hazri also attended the Ministerial Colloquium which offered a unique opportunity for open, peer-to-peer international dialogue on effective national higher education and research strategies. THE’s flagship World Academic Summit 2022 focused on the theme of trajectories to examine the role of higher education leaders and policymakers in identifying, adapting to and meeting rising expectations for progress. In addition to a first look at World University Ranking (WUR) 3.0, the next iteration of the THE World University Rankings, the summit explores new opportunities and collaborations with top-ranked US universities with the aim of enhancing teaching and learning, research and innovation.
“Alhamdulillah, UBD maintains a solid foothold in the THE World University Rankings, on par with many international institutions of great renown,” Dr Hazri Haji Kifle, UBD Vice Chancellor said. “This milestone is made possible with the strong leadership of His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam and Chancellor of UBD, continuous support of His Majesty’s Government and the consistent hard work and dedication of all staff and students of UBD. In addition to producing high quality graduates, the increasing amount of high impact research conducted within and outside the university shows the talents and capabilities of our local and international researchers as well as the significance of strategic collaborations. I hope this continues to motivate all of us to strive towards a brighter future for UBD and Brunei Darussalam.”