Bengal institutions record 276 entries in global top 2% scientists list

Kolkata, Oct. 23 -- Researchers from 16 universities and research institutions in Bengal have recorded 276 entries in the 2026 edition of the Stanford-Elsevier World's Top 2 per cent Scientists list, according to figures shared by Higher Education minister Jagannath Chattopadhyay. The list covers two categories - career-long citations and single-year citations - with some researchers featuring in both.

According to figures shared by the minister in a social media post on Bijoya Dashami, October 21, 197 scientists from the state feature in the single-year citation category, while 225 feature in the career-long category. The combined figure of 276 represents the number of unique researchers across the two categories.

IIT Kharagpur leads the state's institutions, with 97 scientists in the career-long category and 84 in the single-year category. A total of 118 researchers from the institute feature across the two lists. Jadavpur University follows, with 48 scientists in the career-long category and 50 in the single-year category. Of these, at least 35 feature in both categories, taking the university's total number of unique researchers to 63.

The Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), Kolkata, has 24 scientists in the career-long category, while the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science has 17.

The figures also show that India has 6,953 scientists in the single-year citation category, accounting for 2.79 per cent of the global total of 249,310 researchers. These scientists are affiliated with 1,759 institutions and universities across the country.

In the career-long citation category, India has 3,898 scientists affiliated with 1,185 institutions and universities, against a global total of 243,949 researchers.

Bengal accounts for 2.83 per cent of India's scientists in the single-year category and 5.77 per cent in the career-long category. Across the state's 16 institutions, the average representation stands at around 13 scientists in the single-year category and 14 in the career-long category.

Chattopadhyay also estimated that around 925 of the 6,953 Indian scientists in the single-year category are Bengali, accounting for approximately 13.3 per cent of the national total. The estimate includes Bengali-speaking scientists and those identified by Bengali surnames. Highlighting the state's representation, the minister said: "The name of Bengal is shining on the world's scientific map."

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.