Research citations – one of the important litmus tests within the variables considered by QSIU – were up per faculty by 14% year-on-year at MIT and Imperial. Cambridge was just behind with an 11% rise nevertheless in the score that contributes 20% towards the overall ranking.

“In the wake of the recession, both governments and private sector funding sources are placing greater emphasis on high-impact STEM research, much of which takes place in specialist institutions,” commented QS head of research, Ben Sowter.

“Tech-focused institutions are increasingly the focal point of a global race for innovation”

“Tech-focused institutions are increasingly the focal point of a global race for innovation. With budgets from public sources increasingly coming under strain, institutions seem more focused than ever on potentially lucrative research in science, technology and medicine.”

Presenting the rankings at EAIE’s conference in Prague, Sowter predicted that technology would become increasingly more influential in the future of higher education.

“Technology seems to be increasingly influential in rankings,” he said. “And not just in STEM – even in arts, humanities and social sciences how technology is used in research and teaching can’t be ignored.”

A total of 31 countries are represented in the Top 200; where the US is the dominant nation, with 51 institutions, ahead of the UK (29), Germany (13), the Netherlands (11), Canada (10), Japan (10) and Australia (8). A record six British universities make the global top 20.

London is the only city in the world with five universities in the Top 100, more than Boston and Hong Kong (3), New York, Paris, Tokyo, Melbourne and Beijing (2).

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: “These rankings consolidate London’s position as the education capital of the world.

“Nowhere else will you find such a critical mass of top universities within just a few miles of each other, all providing an excellent education and producing graduates who go on to be leaders in their fields. From accountants to zoologists, I’m proud to say that London universities are at the forefront of teaching and research.”

QS will be publishing its annual country reports next week and will soon release a tabletop publication to celebrate its 10 year anniversary in November.