On September 11, the latest data from the Essential Science Indicators (ESI) database by Clarivate Analytics shows that Microbiology at South China University of Technology (SCUT) has made its debut in the global top 1% for the first time. As a result, the number of SCUT’s disciplines ranked in the top 1% globally has increased to 18, including 5 in the top 1‰ and 2 in the top 1‱ ——tying for fourth place nationally in the latter category.