Research at the University of Tartu

See also: Science in Numbers

The University of Tartu is the only classical university in Estonia. It comprises of 9 faculties:

In general terms, research conducted at the university falls into four broad areas: natural and exact sciences (realia et naturalia), medical sciences (medicina), social sciences (socialia) and humanities (humaniora).
Important contributions to the research work of the faculties are madeby the university's 4 colleges (in Tartu, Pärnu, Viljandi and Narva), the Estonian Genome Center and the University of Tartu Library.

High-level research is also conducted by the university's centres of excellence, which have been created to harness the synergy arising from co-operation between thematically close research units that complement each other. The University of Tartu is the lead partner in:

  • Centre of Excellence in Biodiversity Research
  • Centre of Excellence in Chemical Biology
  • Centre of Excellence in Cultural Theory and
  • Centre of Excellence for Translational Medicine

And participates as a partner in the Centre of Excellence in Computer Science and the Centre of Excellence in Genomics. More about centres of excellence .

According to information on theISI Web of Science, the University of Tartu belongs to the top 1% of the world's most-cited universities and research institutions in the fields of

  • Clinical Medicine
  • Chemistry
  • Environment/Ecology
  • Plant and Animal Science
  • Geosciences
  • Social Sciences (general)
  • Biology and Biochemistry

As the national university of Estonia, UT is responsible for the preservation and evolution of the Estonian language and culture and offers the best research opportunities in the field of Estonian and other Finno-Ugric languages.

More than half of the PhD theses written in Estonia are defended at the University of Tartu. More about PhD studies.

Also, more than half of the country's research publications are authored by UT academics, and the university manages work-intensive research projects and topics in every important research area.