For four years now, Ecologic Institute has claimed a top spot in the "Environment" category of the highly regarded global rankings of policy institutes, or think tanks, published by the University of Pennsylvania. In 2013, the Berlin-based research organisation was ranked in 9th place.

Researchers at Ecologic Institute have been working on current societally and politically relevant environmental questions since 1995. The research performed by Ecologic Institute has been recognised, as it has been for the last three years, with a top ranking in the Global Go To Think Tank Index [pdf, 780 kB, English]. This year Ecologic Institute is ranked 9th out of a group of 70 similar organisations. That is the highest ranking for an environmental think tank in Germany and the third highest in Europe. Prof. R. Andreas Kraemer, Director of Ecologic Institute, is excited by the excellent result: "Ecologic Institute has been recognised for the fourth year in a row for its outstanding research on current topics in the environmental sector. For us, that is an incentive to continue carrying out the highest level of research – in 2014, particularly on the topics of climate, energy, and global environmental policy."

The rankings are the result of a worldwide nomination and selection process in which more than 1950 researchers, peer institutions, journalists, and political decisionmakers, as well as public and private donors, took part. The evaluated criteria include the quality and reputation of an organisation's research; academic performance; quality, number, and influence of publications; and implementation of research results and policy advice. In total, 6826 institutions, from 182 countries, were called upon to take part in the study.

The Global Go To Think Tank Index is an initiative of the University of Pennsylvania. This ranking was first published seven years ago and has since then been released annually every January. The Global Go To Think Tank Index 2013 was released on 22 January 2014 simultaneously at the United Nations University in New York City and at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., as well as by selected organisations around the globe. This year, Ecologic Institute together with other institutions, featured the report in German and discussed it with leading think tank representatives in a regional context. Read more on our Berlin panel discussion.