The results of the 2020 edition of the Global Ranking of Academic Subjects are now known and are once again a source of pride for the Instituto Superior Técnico community. The prestigious international ranking places the University of Lisbon (ULisboa) in the world's top 50 in two of Técnico's areas of expertise: Naval and Ocean Engineering – 6th place – and Remote Sensing – 38th place. Slightly further down the list, other scientific disciplines from Técnico are highlighted, namely Civil Engineering (51-75), Electrical and Electronic Engineering (76-100), Control and Automation (101-150), Chemical Engineering (101-150), Energy Science and Engineering (101-150), Transport Science and Technology (101-150), and Water Resources (101-150).

In addition to these areas, ULisboa also achieves an excellent global ranking in other engineering disciplines such as: Mechanical Engineering (151-200), Environmental Engineering and Sciences (151-200), Physics (151-200), Computer Engineering and Sciences (201-300), Telecommunications Engineering (201-300), Biomedical Engineering (201-300) and Mathematics (201-300), all of which are scientific areas of Técnico.

Based on an analysis of scientific output, the Global Ranking of Academic Subjects, launched in 2009, is considered one of the most prestigious in the world. It is based on the productivity and scientific quality of institutions, more specifically on the number of articles published in leading journals and the percentage of articles produced in international collaboration. The excellent ranking of the Technical School's disciplines in this list thus further highlights the high level of research conducted at the school.

Nationally, ULisboa is a leader in 27 areas and ranks second in another 10 areas, out of a total of 46 scientific disciplines in which Portuguese higher education institutions were evaluated.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) once again stands out globally in the field of Engineering, ranking highest in five of the disciplines analyzed: Automation and Control, Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Computer Science, Chemical Engineering, and Materials Science and Engineering. Harvard University continues to be the institution with the best overall performance in the world, leading in 14 of the disciplines, of which 5 are Social Sciences, 4 Medical Sciences, 2 Life Sciences, and 3 Engineering.

The 2020 edition of this ranking evaluated more than 4,000 universities across 54 disciplines in the areas of Natural Sciences, Life Sciences, Engineering, Medical Sciences, and Social Sciences.