According to the international European engineering study ranking EngiRank, Kaunas University of Technology (KTU) has maintained its position as the strongest university in Lithuania offering engineering programmes for the third consecutive year.
EngiRank is the only ranking in Europe that evaluates higher education institutions exclusively in the field of engineering and technology. This year, it analysed 300 universities from 36 countries in the European Higher Education Area (EHEA), including such technology leaders as the Technical University of Denmark (DTU), Delft University of Technology (TU Delft), and KU Leuven.
The latest ranking results were announced at the event “Engineering for Security: Universities and Industry in Service of Defence” in Brussels, which brought together European university leaders and the region’s largest defence companies.
KTU’s leadership in technology and defence innovation
The context of this year’s ranking is crucial due to the geopolitical challenges in Europe. Attracting and training engineering professionals is becoming a strategic priority at both national and industrial levels.
According to him, rankings such as EngiRank clearly demonstrate Europe’s direction of technology and the role universities can play in this process. This assessment helps universities to evaluate the effectiveness of their cooperation with industry and their ability to respond quickly to changing competence needs. It also helps them to identify which areas of research need to be strengthened to stay one step ahead. These results are not a competition for the university, but rather a guide – an opportunity to refine its direction and strengthen its position further among European technology leaders.
More accurate comparison of institutions
According to Jurkšienė, international higher education rankings are always challenging due to various factors, including regional differences, different funding models, the lack of comparability between disciplines, and issues with data interpretation. These factors make it difficult to apply objective evaluation criteria and rank institutions overall.
“For these reasons, EngiRank is becoming increasingly important. Although this ranking is still relatively new, it covers the most important criteria for international evaluations and provides a basis for more accurate data analysis and meaningful comparison of institutions,” she explains.
According to KTU’s Director of Strategy and Quality Management, this ranking’s strength lies in its complexity and reliability. It assesses studies, research, innovation and cooperation with industry, and all data comes from official, open sources. This eliminates the influence of universities providing their own data or applying subjective methodological interpretations.
KTU is consistently increasing its investment in strategic engineering areas, developing joint research programmes with partners in the European industrial and defence sectors, and strengthening the culture of study quality and the potential of the academic community.
“The university aims to continue to be an institution that not only responds to global changes but also shapes them, creating a safer, more sustainable and technologically stronger future,” says KTU Rector Valatka.
EngiRank is a European engineering programme ranking published since 2023, compiled by Perspektywy in collaboration with Elsevier. It evaluates research output, industrial partnerships, participation in research funding programmes, patents and engineering study accreditations, comparing higher education institutions operating under conditions typical of the same region.
