The University of Arizona was recognized as one of the world's most collaborative research institutions by Global Research Partnerships.

The organization's latest Research Collaboration Index, released Tuesday, ranks the U of A No. 1 in the Southwest – ahead of all colleges in Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Nevada and Utah – and No. 1 in the Big 12 Conference.

The U of A also ranks No. 16 among public institutions, No. 31 in the United States, and No. 111 globally out of 1,195 ranked colleges and universities across 81 countries.

The U of A also earned top marks in earth and planetary sciences (No. 2 among publics, No. 5 U.S., No. 33 globally), physics and astronomy (No. 8 among publics, No. 15 U.S., No. 48 globally), environmental sciences (No. 6 among publics, No. 12 U.S., No. 68 globally) and arts and humanities (No. 6 among publics, No. 11 U.S., No. 72 globally).

The index, which is built upon the open global scholarly record, "measures how central each university is in the global research-collaboration network." The U of A earned "gold" status, due in large part to its strengths in network influence and sustained partnerships.