The Interdisciplinary Science Rankings 2026: Polimi Rises to 15th Globally

Politecnico di Milano ranks 15^th worldwide in Times Higher Education's (THE) new Interdisciplinary Science Rankings (ISR) 2026, climbing 15 places compared to last year.

This is a significant achievement in a ranking that, this year, analysed 1,267 universities and listed 911 institutions from 94 countries. Politecnico is also 3^rd in Europe and 1^st in Italy.

The ranking, developed by THE in collaboration with Schmidt Science Fellows, was designed to measure and promote interdisciplinary research, now considered an essential lever for addressing global challenges.

In 2026, the range of recognised disciplines has been expanded: in addition to projects involving multiple STEM areas, it now also includes those integrating social sciences, education, psychology, law, economics, or clinical-health fields together with scientific disciplines.

Politecnico's position reflects a structural and strategic approach that is now internationally recognised. THE's analysis highlights three distinctive features:

• Robust interdepartmental infrastructure, facilitating collaboration between research groups across different fields
• A clear scientific vision, encouraging courses and projects based on disciplinary integration
• Strong ability to attract funding for interdisciplinary topics, a sign that Politecnico's model is also acknowledged externally

In the official white paper (page 41) published alongside the ranking, THE also focuses on Politecnico di Milano, highlighting as one of its main strengths the doctoral programmes co-supervised with companies, which formally embed interdisciplinarity into advanced training courses.

This remarkable rise in the rankings – from 30^th to 15^th place globally – underscores Politecnico di Milano’s position as a global leader in interdisciplinary research.