The impact of research reports from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and the EMBL-European Bioinformatics Institute makes them the top two most influential research institutions in the UK, according to results published this week. In addition, nine of the top 25 most influential UK researchers are current or recent staff at the Wellcome Trust Genome Campus near Cambridge, UK, home to the two powerhouse institutes.

The results, published in Science Watch, rank scientific publications from UK institutions from 2003 to 2007 according to their impact among researchers. The listing put the Sanger Institute’s Dr Richard Durbin at number one in influence.

Science Watch measured the number of times that influential reports were referred to by other researchers (citations). The aggregate results positioned the Sanger Institute at nine and the EMBL-EBI at 14 within the UK – in amongst much larger organizations such as the Universities of Bristol, Sheffield, Southampton and the Medical Research Council.

When the number of citations was calculated per scientific report – the average impact of each paper – the Sanger Institute jumped to first and EMBL-EBI to second. On average, the 170 high-impact reports from the two institutes garnered more than 135 citations, almost twice the amount for the University of Cambridge, for example.

“The vision was always for the Genome Campus to drive the coming revolution in genomics and informatics.

“The 2003-7 Science Watch rankings, placing the two institutions at 1 and 2 in influential papers and putting so many of our staff in the top 25, is a measure of what the staff here have achieved in the past dozen years. The rankings are a tribute to the work of all the scientists listed but, more important, to the work of all the staff in the EBI and the Sanger Institute. I am delighted for them.”

Professor Allan Bradley Director of the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute

The Sanger Institute played a leading role in the Human Genome Project and, together with EMBL-EBI, developed the Ensembl web browser, which allows access to the human and other genome sequences. Bioinformatics, the application of computer power to understanding biology, is an essential part of modern research and is revolutionising our understanding of genetics and its role in health and disease.

“We’re delighted that the excellent research published by the EBI in league with its many international collaborators has been useful and relevant to so many researchers. This highlights the tremendous importance of bioinformatics to modern molecular biology.”

Professor Janet Thornton Director of EMBL-EBI

The Genome Campus, nestled next to the small village of Hinxton, is a powerhouse of UK research. Founded in 1993 and 1997, respectively, the Sanger Institute and EMBL-EBI have been involved in some of the most important biological and biomedical research, including the Human Genome Project, the Wellcome Trust Case Control Consortium and The 1000 Genomes Project.

“Genomics and bioinformatics – terms unrecognizable to biologists a couple of decades ago – are the spearheads of modern biology. We have been fortunate to have worked in such a wonderful environment on such important and influential research.

“My own background is in mathematics and computation, but all my significant work has been in interdisciplinary teams with others, collectively building knowledge and resources for future biological research. The recognition of our work at the Genome Campus today rests on the strategic investment in these resources by UK and European funding bodies, especially the Wellcome Trust and the EU, to drive forward biomedical benefit.”

Dr Durbin From the Sanger Institute, who co-heads The 1000 Genomes Project​

For this analysis, Science Watch drew on its database of highly-cited papers – those reports published between 2003 and 2007 that rank, in their respective fields of science and the social sciences, among the top 1 per cent most-cited for their given years of publication.

Extracts from the Science Watch Rankings