The success of VUT in the European ranking is a confirmation of the quality of our shared research ecosystem, which connects academic education with excellent research infrastructure and strong international links.
On January 28, 2026, the new edition of the QS World University Rankings Europe was released. Brno University of Technology (VUT) achieved a significant improvement, ranking 204th, which represents a rise of 20 places compared to the previous year. This result confirms the growing international quality of education and research at VUT and its strengthening position within the European academic landscape. The Institute of Physics of Materials of the Czech Academy of Sciences (IPM CAS) maintains long-term and close cooperation with VUT. Researchers from VUT contribute to teaching, while students carry out their Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD theses at IPM CAS.
The top of the ranking is occupied by leading global institutions:
🥇 University of Oxford
🥈 ETH Zurich
🥉 Imperial College London and University College London (UCL)
5th place: University of Cambridge
10th place: EPFL – École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne
The high ranking of leading universities is especially meaningful for us, as we actively collaborate with several of them:
🇬🇧 Oxford
We maintain strong relations with the University of Oxford. Evidence of this was last year’s visit of students specializing in electron microscopy, whom we welcomed at IPM CAS. They toured our Centre of Electron Microscopy, visited Thermo Fisher Scientific, and the program also included an informal activity — bowling — supporting further professional and personal connections.
🇨🇭 ETH Zurich
We have strong ties with ETH Zurich, among others through the project
MEBioSys (Mechanical Engineering of Biological and Bio-inspired Systems). Within this framework, students and researchers were able to visit ETH Zurich and further advance their research while sharing expertise in advanced materials and bio-inspired systems.
🇬🇧 Cambridge
We maintain a very close and friendly collaboration with the University of Cambridge, particularly in the field of electron diffraction. PhD students and researchers from IPM CAS regularly undertake research stays and working visits there.
🇨🇭 EPFL and PSI
With École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), we collaborate intensively in the field of metal 3D printing, specifically laser powder bed fusion technology and the influence of processing parameters on the resulting microstructure and mechanical properties.
In cooperation with the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), we also utilize neutron diffraction for in situ mechanical testing, observing the evolution of martensitic transformation (TRIP effect) as well as the plastic response of materials.
The success of VUT in the European ranking, together with our direct partnerships with leading global institutions, demonstrates that research carried out in the Czech Republic — including at IPM CAS — is an integral part of the international scientific elite. Cooperation between IPM CAS and VUT creates an environment where excellent infrastructure, high-quality education, and international research experience for students and scientists come together.
👉 This achievement is not only a reason for celebration but also a strong motivation to continue building robust scientific partnerships across Europe.
📊 Full rankings are available here.
📣 More information on VUT’s performance can be found in the official VUT article.
