On 23 September, Clarivate released the latest Essential Science Indicators (ESI) dataset. For the first time, the discipline of Pharmacology & Toxicology of SDFMU has made it into the ESI global Top 1‰, becoming the second ESI discipline to reach this milestone following Clinical Medicine. This marks a new leap in its international academic influence and comprehensive competitiveness, and demonstrates SDFMU’s long‑standing academic accumulation, research strength and outstanding performance in supporting the development of the pharmaceutical industry.
To date, a total of 11 disciplines of SDFMU rank among the ESI global Top 1%, namely Clinical Medicine, Pharmacology & Toxicology, Biology & Biochemistry, Immunology, Molecular Biology & Genetics, Neuroscience & Behavior, Microbiology, Chemistry, Social Sciences ‑ General, Materials Science and Engineering. Among them, Clinical Medicine sits within the global Top 0.63‰, and Pharmacology & Toxicology within the global Top 0.99‰. Biology & Biochemistry falls in the global Top 1‰-3‰ bracket of its discipline; five disciplines-Immunology, Molecular Biology & Genetics, Neuroscience & Behavior, Chemistry and Microbiology-rank in the global Top 3‰-5‰ range of their respective fields.
In recent years, leveraging high‑level platforms including the National Key Laboratory, the discipline of Pharmacy has assembled a high‑caliber talent echelon represented by national‑leading experts. It has built an integrated full‑chain innovation system covering basic research, new‑drug evaluation and research‑result transformation, delivering remarkable research outputs and social‑service outcomes. Notably, the technology‑transfer contract for a Class‑1 innovative drug for NASH reached 204 million RMB. More than 500 pre‑clinical evaluations for new medicines have been completed cumulatively, generating over 2 billion RMB in economic benefits. Research achievements have effectively empowered the upgrading of the pharmaceutical industry and regional economic growth. The comprehensive strength and academic influence of the Pharmacy discipline keep rising, with strong performances in major authoritative subject rankings. In the 2026 ShanghaiRanking’s Global Ranking of Academic Subjects, Pharmacy advanced firmly into the global Top 200 at 175th place. It ranks within the national Top 20% in the Best Chinese Subjects Ranking. Pharmacology & Toxicology is placed 149th globally in the 2026 U.S. News Best Global Universities subject rankings.
Pharmacology & Toxicology’s entry into the ESI global top 1‰ represents an important achievement and vivid practice of SDFMU in systematically planning top‑level disciplinary layout, advancing integration of research and education, and pursuing connotation‑driven high‑quality development. Going forward, SDFMU will stay focused on the goal of building a first‑class university. It will further optimize the disciplinary ecosystem, unlock innovation vitality, and comprehensively improve disciplinary development quality, research‑innovation capacity and social‑service effectiveness. Drawing on its strengths in medicine‑related disciplines, the institution will strive to build a high‑level interdisciplinary innovation hub for medicine and pharmacy. Actively responding to major national strategies and demands of regional medical‑health industries, it will keep contributing to the Healthy China and Healthy Shandong initiatives, and faithfully demonstrate the sense of responsibility of Shandong First Medical University.
