In that sense, the efforts that the institution has made, specialy in the last decade, have been focused in strenghten its researching function. That is how, since 2004, 25% of its investment resources and part of the produced through its programs has been allocated to its financing.

This has led to lead the colombian scientific production, with an input of 28% of it through the printed production of the Editorial and the indexed articles in national and international journals, according to the international database Scopus.

Aside this, by opting out of being the traditional "professionalizing" university and become a "research university", has proved that is possible bring knowledge and convert it in development, innovation and impact on society and the colombians' quality of life. 

Therefore, since 2009, UNAL has developed 10,831 extension projects around all national territory, that has benefited around 5 million citizens belonging vulnerable communities and inhabitants of the most secluded regions.

And this policy, led from the Research Vicerectory and suported by Research and Extension National Direction, Intelectual Property and Innovation National Direction, the Libraries National Direction and Editorial UNAL, is directed to service the country the scientific capabilities that the institution is creating in matteres of science, technology and innovation (S+T+I) and, at the same time, contribute to the technological advance and development that allows it to compete in a globalized world.

Among the challenges done in matters of research by UNAL, is the boost provided to the Postgraduate progams and their accreditation, the strenghthening of the research groups and laboratories, the implementation of convocatories for development of social and scientific projects of large scale and the consolidation of the information system HERMES, as well as the Knowledge Agendas

The fact of being a research university makes that the Institution distinguishes for having a large offer of doctorate and postgraduate programs. Therefore, of the 155 doctorate programs in the country, 54 of them are from UNAL, meaning, 34%. Also of the 50,000 students the Institution has, 8,500 are postgraduate students, mening, 17%.

This is reinforced by the fact that 84% of the Institution's professors has Masters or Doctoral Degree and by the impusle that Colciencias (actually Ministry of Science) in this subject, since form the 516 doctorate scholarships given in the whole country in 2013, 284 of them (55%) were for UNAL.

The consolidation of this purpose is also given by the 931 research groups that the University has, which from them 487 are categorized in Colciencias; and by the National Laboratories System, that has 606 laboratories in seven campuses, which within those 9 are already accredited or in accreditation process. 

In addition, the work develloped by the Research Viverectory regarding the Knowledge Agendas, has served to strenghten the knowledge generation and appropiation processes done by researchers through its various association forms - groups, centers, consortia, networks, etc- and to build collective construction of a shared vision of the future.

On the same way, it has been achieved to identify the scenarios and integrate its capacity and expertise through programs and research, technologic development, innovation, artistic, and cultural projects in a interdisciplinary nature with high impact in the country, that impacts in the construction of knowledge with international projection and national relevance.

Here, among the research capabilities gathered by UNAL between 2003 and 2012, according to these Agendas, there are the following:

• Citizenship construction and social inclusion: 181 groups, 355 products and 1.085 projects.
• Agricultural Sciences and Rural Development: 117 groups, 1.158 products and 864 projects.
• Organizational Development, economic and industrial: 105 groups, 582 products and 526 projects.
• Energy: 92 groups, 710 products and 354 projects.
• State and Political System: 76 groups, 459 products and 205 projects.
• Health and Life: 242 groups, 1.411 products and 795 projects.
• Biodiversity and Environment: 239 groups, 836 products and 854 projects.
• Arts and culture: 164 groups, 457 products and 677 projects.
• Biotechnology: 118 groups, 584 products and 510 projects.
• Minerals and Materials Science and Technology: 107 groups, 202 products and 500 projects.
• Habitat, City and Territory: 144 groups, 297 products and 202 projects.
• Information Technology and Communications: 90 groups, 492 products and 238 projects. 

Finally, all these achievements have made that Universidad Nacional de Colombia stands out in several international rankings. That is how occupies the first place in national scientific production, according with the institutional research ranking SCImago (SIR IBER 2013); first place in the U-Sapiens ranking from Sapiens Research Group among 81 higher education institutions private and public of the country; and the ninth place in QS University Rankings Latin America.