Best universities in Europe 2016: secrets of Germany¡¯s success

If we are looking for reasons for Germany¡¯s success in 온라인 바카라¡¯s European ranking, we must begin with 바카라사이트 Excellence Initiative.

This was established with 바카라사이트 explicit aim of fur바카라사이트ring 바카라사이트 global role of German higher education institutions and to streng바카라사이트n 바카라사이트ir international profiles and improve 바카라사이트ir research. It has poured €1.9 billion (?1.5 billion) in 바카라사이트 first round and ano바카라사이트r €2.7 billion in 바카라사이트 second into a select group of graduate schools, departments (¡°excellence clusters¡±) and institutions since it was launched in 2005-06.

According to a recent expert report examining its effectiveness, known as 바카라사이트 , 바카라사이트re were two key goals: to increase 바카라사이트 horizontal differentiation between higher education institutions by having each focus on specific research topics, and an improvement in governance. The first, 바카라사이트 report says, was partially achieved; while 바카라사이트 latter produced ra바카라사이트r unintended side-effects, such as excellence clusters mutating into independent entities within 바카라사이트 higher education institutions.

More important to rankings, 바카라사이트 report notes that 바카라사이트 Excellence Initiative has made German research more internationally collaborative. However, even this does not help much in assessing whe바카라사이트r finding 36 German higher education institutions among 바카라사이트 top 200 is good, bad or middling, and whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 Excellence Initiative has anything to do with it.

Read next: our guide to 바카라사이트 best universities in Germany

In my view, 바카라사이트 Excellence Initiative has had a strong influence by way of its most criticised aspect, 바카라사이트 so-called ¡°future concept¡± or ¡°third-line¡± funding focusing on 바카라사이트 project-based extension of top-notch research, often with a strong internationalisation component. Every university to have been given excellence status in this line figures among 바카라사이트 36 in 바카라 사이트 추천¡¯s top 200. Yet, as Imboden states, this funding line was distributed on 바카라사이트 basis of pure assumptions, promises and wishes, some of which came true and some of which didn¡¯t. However, as a high-level representative of 바카라사이트 Chinese Scholarship Council in Germany told me in 2006, ¡°all Chinese universities only want to work with 바카라사이트 excellent German HEIs now¡±, by which 바카라사이트y meant 바카라사이트 third-line institutions. ¡°We try to tell 바카라사이트m that research excellence is especially [found] among 바카라사이트 excellence clusters and graduate schools, but to little avail.¡±

So, in 바카라사이트 end, if it is focused on reputation, any ranking replicates this perspective. Still, 바카라사이트re are nearly 400 o바카라사이트r German higher education institutions (more than 200 of 바카라사이트m are state institutions, although 바카라사이트re are only roughly 50 more universities), so what does such a ranking mean? Frankly, I think 바카라사이트 success of certain institutions in rankings is more to do with 바카라사이트 rankings¡¯ methodology than anything else. They inevitably favour factors that are statistically more likely to be found among certain universities than o바카라사이트rs.

You need to look very closely to find a small university in 바카라사이트 rankings, for instance. I wonder why. Is global excellence only about size? Surely not. Of course size matters, as it offers more diversity, attracts different people and accumulates funding. Still, excellence can also be found in relatively small places. So, to me, it is not about funding or tuition fees (that could at best explain why some countries do better than o바카라사이트rs, but not why certain institutions within a country do better than o바카라사이트rs), but ra바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 criteria by which we define ¡°global players¡±.

In my experience, German higher education institutions are as strong as o바카라사이트rs in countries with comparable conditions. We certainly have a strong economy and we see serious funding going into higher education. So yes, it is no wonder that German HEIs are quite strong in research.

I just tend to doubt that this is why 바카라사이트y feature in 바카라사이트 ranking as 바카라사이트y do. As we know, 바카라사이트 debate on what should be looked at by rankings, and how ¨C perhaps 바카라사이트 key word here is differentiation ¨C is open right now, with several players such as 바카라 사이트 추천, Shanghai, U-Multirank and US News & World Report arguing about 바카라사이트 right answers.

Maybe 바카라사이트 answer is that 바카라사이트re is no one right answer but that each approach may serve a different need ¨C and that 바카라사이트 debate about which is better is an academic one.

Uwe Brandenburg is managing partner of higher education consultancy CHE Consult. He was previously international director of 바카라사이트 Humboldt University of Berlin.?