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Wuppertal Institute in the Top Ten for the Fourth Time in the Environmental Policy Think Tank Comparison

On 27 January, 2021 the University of Pennsylvania published their "Global Go To Think Tank Index Report". For the fourth time in a row, the Wuppertal Institute secured a top ten place in the international think tank comparison, thus confirming its good position of previous years. In the 2020 global ranking of think tanks, the Wuppertal Institute ranked ninth in the "TOP Environmental Policy" category, making It one of the ten most renowned environmental research and consultancy institutes worldwide.

Every year, the University of Pennsylvania publishes a report assessing the best think tanks. The annual Global Go To Think Tank Index Report by the Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program (TTCSP) examines the role played by political research institutes in advising governments and exchanging with civil society worldwide.

The Wuppertal Institute was voted into the top ten again for the fourth time in a row, achieving the ninth place as in the previous year. This makes the Institute one of the world’s leading international think tanks in the Top Environment Policy Think Tanks category. Professor Dr. Manfred Fischedick, Scientific Managing Director of the Wuppertal Institute, is very pleased that the voice of the Wuppertal Institute is also heard internationally and thus the work and high commitment of the Institute's scientists is honoured. He says "Many of the ecological challenges, such as climate protection in particular, can only be solved on a global level. It is of utmost importance to us to prepare scientific findings in such a way that they concretely show options for action that can then be taken up worldwide. Last but not least the Covid 19 pandemic has made it clear how important the role of science is in solving the major challenges of the future. We want to continue to contribute to this with all our might".

2020 Think Tank Index

The goal of the TTCSP is to raise the profile, capacity, and performance of think tanks at the national, regional, and global levels. The TTCSP works with leading scholars and practitioners from think tanks and universities in a variety of collaborations and programs, and produces the annual Global Go To Think Tank Index, which ranks the world's leading think tanks in a variety of categories. This year the panel is composed of a total of more than 1,800 political decision makers, journalists and academics as well as public and private sponsors who participated in the survey in their capacity as experts in their fields. In total, over 11,000 think tanks were invited to participate in the nomination and ranking process.

Think tank institutes within the Johannes Rau Research Association

Two further organisations belonging to the Johannes Rau Research Association (JRF), of which the Wuppertal Institute is also a member, are represented in the global think tank index: the German Development Institute (DIE) , which ranks third in "Top International Development Policy Think Tanks" and fifth in "Best Government-Affiliated Think Tanks," as well as the Bonn International Center for Conversion (BICC). Professor Manfred Fischedick: "This demonstrates the strong positioning of North Rhine-Westphalia's research landscape at the international level".

Think tank institutes of the Ecological Research Network

Three institutes of the Ecornet were also able to sustain their position in the think tank ranking. The Ecological Research Network (Ecornet) is a network of eight independent, non-profit institutes of environmental and sustainability research in Germany, of which the Wuppertal Institute is also a member. This year, the first place in the “TOP Environmental Policy” category went to the Ecologic Institute. The Institute for Ecological Economy Research (IÖW) and the Öko-Institut are also well represented in the think tank ranking.

Further information

Links

2020 Global Go To Think Tank Index Report
TTCSP Global Go To Think Tak Index Reports


Press Release

Wuppertal Institute
Responsible for content: Professor Dr. Manfred Fischedick, Scientific Managing Director
Contact: Christin Hasken, Head of Communications and Public Relations
Tel.: +49 202 2492-187
Fax: +49 202 2492-108
E-mail: christin.hasken@wupperinst.org