Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research reviewed that twenty-one Iraqi universities obtained competitive results in the CWTS Leiden Ranking, which evaluates the research quality and performance of academic institutions worldwide.

The Ministry stated that the ranking  available at (https://open.leidenranking.com/ranking/2025/list) demonstrated the quality and impact of research output within the scientific community based on several key indicators as follows:

• Percentage of research publications ranked among the top 10% globally in terms of citations.

• Standardized Citation Score (MNCS).

• Indicators of international scientific collaboration.

• Analysis of research output, both quantitatively and qualitatively.

The Ministry highlighted that the results reflected a strong competitive presence for the following universities: (University of Baghdad, University of Technology, Mustansiriyah University, University of Babylon, University of Mosul, University of Basrah, University of Kufa, University of Anbar, Al-Nahrain University, University of Sulaimani, University of Al-Qadisiyah, University of Karbala, University of Diyala, Salahaddin University-Erbil, Middle Technical University, University of Thi-Qar, University of Duhok, University of Wasit, Al-Iraqia University, University of Kirkuk and Sulaimani Polytechnic University).

It is significant to mention that the CWTS Leiden Ranking, issued by the Centre for Science and Technology Studies (CWTS) at Leiden University in the Netherlands, is recognized as one of the most prestigious global rankings focused on analyzing research performance, as well as relying on data from Clarivate’s Web of Science platform and is distinguished by its accuracy and objectivity in assessing the scientific impact of academic institutions.