Evanthia Kalpazidou Schmidt

Funding systems for higher education and their impacts on institutional strategies and academia: A comparative perspective

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discuss how funding systems influence higher education institutions and their strategies and core tasks.Design/methodology/approach – Taking the results of a comparative study between Denmark, Norway and Portugal as a point of departure, the paper identifies and analyses the main features of these state funding systems, their strengths and weaknesses, and their impact on academia.Findings – The system‐level analysis offers an illustration of a trend across Europe. The paper shows that mixed funding models have been implemented in all three countries.Originality/value – Funding systems and their impacts do not come in neat packages. The systems demonstrate a mixed pattern of strengths and weaknesses. The impacts of the funding systems converge, although different mechanisms are employed. There are no clear cut differences in the perceived strengths, weaknesses and impacts of the two main types of funding systems – input‐based funding and output‐based funding – pres...

Developing a methodology to assess the impact of research grant funding: A mixed methods approach

This paper discusses the development of a mixed methods approach to analyse research funding. Research policy has taken on an increasingly prominent role in the broader political scene, where research is seen as a critical factor in maintaining and improving growth, welfare and international competitiveness. This has motivated growing emphasis on the impacts of science funding, and how funding can best be designed to promote socio-economic progress. Meeting these demands for impact assessment involves a number of complex issues that are difficult to fully address in a single study or in the design of a single methodology. However, they point to some general principles that can be explored in methodological design. We draw on a recent evaluation of the impacts of research grant funding, discussing both key issues in developing a methodology for the analysis and subsequent results. The case of research grant funding, involving a complex mix of direct and intermediate effects that contribute to the overall impact of funding on research performance, illustrates the value of a mixed methods approach to provide a more robust and complete analysis of policy impacts. Reflections on the strengths and weaknesses of the methodology are used to examine refinements for future work.

Dynamic research environments: a development model

The paper outlines a model for the development of dynamic and innovative research environments in national innovation systems. The development model is based on an in-depth study and analysis of fifteen research environments selected by the Danish Council for Research Policy as examples of dynamic and innovative public research environments. According to the model, research environments follow certain stages with respect to epistemological, organizational and socio-cultural development that either enable them to advance from one stage to the next in the model or impede this advance. The consequence of the latter is either a static state or dissolution. In the long run only dynamic and innovative research environments survive. The analysis of the cases studied identifies several preconditions that have to be present in such research environments in order for them to emerge, develop and finally reach excellence. The results presented here may well be a valid tool for policy-makers, particularly in Europe where the framework conditions for public R&D are comparable to the Danish.

Academic Autonomy in a Rapidly Changing Higher Education Framework: Academia on the Procrustean Bed?

The challenges for European universities in a steadily changing environment are manifold. Governance and management of universities are in particular affected, as they have to respond rapidly to a demanding environment. As states provide less of universities’ core funding and market pressures increase, the need for governance and management of institutions to ensure an effective and sustainable financial basis becomes even more apparent. New governance and management challenges are the result of both internal and external pressures. Internal pressures following a rapid growth in the volume of higher education activity—in terms of both student numbers and complexity of the student population—and research amounts are greater than ever. External pressures consist of scarce resources and a complex and highly competitive environment with demands for a quick response to a broad range of interests and stakeholders.

Innovation and dynamics in public research environments in Denmark: A research-policy perspective

The theme for this article is dynamic and innovative research environments and the factors that characterise them. The focus is on the relationship between the organisation and management of research, research processes and environmental conditions on the one hand, and research quality and outcomes on the other. The article takes as a point of departure the results of an empirical study of 15 university and other public-sector research environments in Denmark. It identifies the features that characterise the framework of research, research processes, the working and social milieu of research environments and their influence on research in a smaller European country from a research-policy perspective. Innovative research environments could serve as references for research agents attempting to promote innovation and further develop a dynamic science base. Copyright , Beech Tree Publishing.

Research management and policy: incentives and obstacles to a better public‐private interaction

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discuss the public‐private linkage within the Danish research and technological development (RTD) and innovation system, seen from the point of view of the private sector. The relationship between public and private research is an issue of growing interest to management and public policy.Design/methodology/approach – Based on interviews with business managers, the article identifies obstacles that enterprises experience when cooperating with public research institutions and highlights conditions that influence the relationship.Findings – The paper points to ways to strengthen linkages and provides information on how to further stimulate public‐private interaction and thus make better use of resources through synergy.Originality/value – The analysis in the paper offers an insight that can serve as a reference for researchers, managers and policymakers in countries with conditions similar to those of the Danish.

Implementation of European Research Policy

The European Framework Programmes for Research and Technological Development aim to stimulate European researchers, to increase cooperation in Europe and to establish a ‘critical mass’ of European excellence. To achieve this broad goal of mobilising and activating researchers, an efficient and effective implementation of the Framework Programmes is crucial. This analysis addresses issues such as the appropriateness of the instruments used, the transparency and efficiency of the implementation process and the incentives and barriers to participation of key target groups. Copyright , Beech Tree Publishing.

Benefits of Peer Mentoring to Mentors, Female Mentees and Higher Education Institutions

In this article, we discuss a study of a pilot mentoring program for early career female researchers at a university that addressed the under-representation of female researchers in senior academic positions. Embracing a grounded theory approach, we draw on a design comprising an ex-ante and an ex-post evaluation. We disclose that development mentoring was at play. Benefits for the mentees consisted of guidance to career planning, competence awareness, establishment of networks, navigating in the research environment, and moral support. In our study we also show that the mentor–mentee relationship was reciprocal, as also mentors benefited. Benefits for the mentors comprised professional development, institutional recognition, and personal satisfaction. We conclude with an inventory of benefits, including for the institution in terms of a strengthened research environment.

Quality assurance policies and practices in Scandinavian higher education systems: convergence or different paths?

ABSTRACTBecause there is close cooperation on quality assurance in the Scandinavian countries, one would expect there to be convergence of quality assurance policies and practices in Scandinavian higher education. Few studies have analysed these quality assurance policies and practices from a comparative viewpoint. Based on empirical evidence produced in connection with studies of recent quality reforms in Scandinavia and an approach based on linking diffusion and translation theories with institutionalist perspectives focusing on path dependency, the paper contributes to the current debate on Scandinavian quality assurance. The debate is compelling with regard to the Swedish case in particular, with its ‘one size fits all’ approach and exclusive focus on outcomes which has been heavily criticised by the higher education institutions and has turned out to be controversial from the European viewpoint.ABSTRACT Because there is close cooperation on quality assurance in the Scandinavian countries, one would expect there to be convergence of quality assurance policies and practices in Scandinavian higher education. Few studies have analysed these quality assurance policies and practices from a comparative viewpoint. Based on empirical evidence produced in connection with studies of recent quality reforms in Scandinavia and an approach based on linking diffusion and translation theories with institutionalist perspectives focusing on path dependency, the paper contributes to the current debate on Scandinavian quality assurance. The debate is compelling with regard to the Swedish case in particular, with its ‘one size fits all’ approach and exclusive focus on outcomes which has been heavily criticised by the higher education institutions and has turned out to be controversial from the European viewpoint.