CityUHK Ranks 1st Globally for SDG 9 in THE Impact Rankings 2026

Photo source: Courtesy of CityUHK

Times Higher Education (THE) announced on 24 June 2026 at the Global Sustainable Development Congress (GSDC) 2026 in Jakarta that City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK) has achieved a proud milestone, ranking first in the world for Sustainable Development Goal 9 (SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure).

Participating in the Impact Rankings for the first time, CityUHK topped a field of 826 universities globally, earning a perfect score of 100. The ranking recognizes excellence in high-impact knowledge transfer, patent generation, and the translation of laboratory research into real-world applications.

Key contributions featured in the university's submission included pioneering clean energy and climate technology research from the School of Energy and Environment (SEE). Notably, these include advancements in highly efficient and stable perovskite solar cells and the commercialization of deep-tech spin-offs like i2Cool Limited, a startup incubated by CityUHK’s HK Tech 300 programme that developed zero-electricity passive radiative cooling paint to reduce building energy consumption.

This historic debut stands as a proud testament to how institutions like CityUHK, and dedicated driving forces like SEE, can deliver tangible social, environmental, and economic benefits on a global scale.