The University of National and World Economy (UNWE) in Bulgaria's Sofia has improved its standing in a global "web ranking" of international business schools administered by a group within the Spanish National Research Council.

UNWE is ranked 13th in Europe and 31st in the world from among 1000 business schools in the "Ranking Web of World Bussiness Schools", an initiative of the Cybermetrics Lab, a research group belonging to the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientнficas (CSIC), the largest public research body in Spain.

The Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) is among the first basic research organizations in Europe, consisting of 126 centers and institutes distributed throughout Spain, and is affiliated with Spain's Ministry of Education.

The ranking uses "web indicators ... to measure the global visibility and impact of the scientific repositories," according to its authors.

UNWE's 2011 ranking is a notable improvement from last year when the Sofia economics university was ranked 22nd in Europe and 44th in the world, the school said in a statement.

Several other Bulgarian business schools have also found spots in the ranking of the Spanish National Research Council. The Varna University of Economics is ranked 250th globally, the Higher School of Insurance and Finance in Svishtov is 502nd, and the International University College is 594th. Six other Bulgarian schools are also included in the ranking at lower positions.