TU Delft’s scientific reputation is largely determined by the quality of its research performance and – secondarily, but intricately bound up with that performance – its educational programmes.

In all its academic disciplines, TU Delft aims to play in the global “premier league”. And in selected fields our aim is to top that league. To help achieve this, we have opted to systematically promote the quality of entire research groups as well as that of outstanding individual scientists. Such groups need to incorporate a balanced spread of skills and competencies.

All our academics are appraised annually on their performance in teaching, research, knowledge valorisation, organisation and leadership.

Professorial appointments are strategic decisions which can affect TU Delft’s core profile. Whenever a chair falls vacant, its remit is reviewed in the light of developments in the subject area, the faculty and university profile and so on.

Much of TU Delft's most important output comprises scientific publications in international journals but it also includes numerous other products, including patents. The results of scientific research are generally measured in terms of publications and their impact in terms of citations.

TU Delft in the global rankings
The quality of universities across the world is compared by means of international rankings. The scores achieved provide an indication of what others think about the quality of TU Delft as a whole or that of specific disciplines and play a key role in TU Delft's international profile.