Egbert de Weert

1
R D in Dutch HBOs Policies and practices

• Egbert de Weert
• Center for Higher Education Policy Studies
• University of Twente NL
• Research Council of Norway
• Oslo, 23 November 2007

2
Disclaimers on terminology

• The relationship between university and
  non-university higher education originated from
  classical distinctions along the binary line such
  as theory vs. practice, academic vs. vocational
  education and full-time degree vs. part-time
  short cycle education. Most of these distinctions
  were founded upon faulty assumptions and most of
  them appear to be untenable.
• For the purposes of this presentation I will
  use the following terms, recognising that none of
  them are able to precisely demarcate fields of
  activity within higher education
• Dutch Hoger Beroepsonderwijs (HBO)
• Professionally oriented higher education
• applied research and development

3
Mission of HBOs

• Provides primarily first-cycle programmes
• where the curriculum design logic is to prepare
  students for a career in a field of employment
• where the curriculum is designed in consultation
  with relevant employer groups/professions
• where a substantial part of the programme is
  taught by staff who have had direct working
  experience in the field
• that include a significant component of work
  integrated learning (or in-house alternatives
  with the same learning objective)
• offered by a programme team that is active in
  applied research and development in the field

4
Enrolment in HBO 2001-2005
Legenda HAOagriculture HEA economics/ legal/
administrative HGZO health /paramedical HPO
pedagogy/ teacher training HSAOsocial-agogic
HTNO technical science/engineering KUO fine
arts
5
Policy highlights

• Early 1980s gt300 small often single discipline
  regionally focused institutions
• 1985 onwards brought into HE system by process
  of mergers (now 44 HBOs)
• Own QA system, different funding models, some
  governance differences. No D programmes, funded
  M, professors or research funding. (U of PE,
  links to UK)
• 2002 onwards Lectorships introduced
• 2004 B M structure in both Univ. and HBOs
• Cross-binary cooperation (even mergers)
  permitted

6
National objectives for R D

• National debate on role of knowledge development
  
• Utilisation
• Knowledge circulation between knowledge centers
• Valorisation
• HBOs have specific role in this debate
• Research-based competences of HBO graduates in
  professional practice
• Practice-oriented research enhances professional
  practice
• Role in regional development SME
• No trade-off between research and teaching RD
  should be supportive to teaching and vice versa

7
Research profile

• Classification of research types
• Basic research and applied research too
  uni-dimensional
• Pasteurs Quadrant Edison type of research
• Practice-oriented research
• Research based in professional practice
  (real-life situations)
• Practice-led research questions
• Various organisational settings in co-production
  with companies, public organisations
• Methodologically solid context of application
• Strong link with education/ teaching

8
Creation of new position Lector

• Targeted funds provided by government and
  allocated by a national body on a competitive
  proposal basis since 2002 now over 300 lectors
• A Lector has a highly qualified profile with much
  expertise in the subject field and in the
  professional domain. The leading idea is that
  lectors will not be appointed as isolated staff
  members but as leaders of a knowledge circle
  consisting of 10 15 staff members that aims to
  enhance contacts and knowledge exchange with
  industry

9
Funding of research (1)

• Funding of position of lectors
• Applications through a special foundation (SKO)
• From 2007 onwards part of lump sum funding of
  HBOs (but earmarked)
• Programme RAAK Regional Attention and Action for
  Knowledge circulation
• Subsidies to regional innovation programmes
• By a consortium of HBOs and one or more business
  (SMEs)
• Projects should have a bridging function between
  HBOs and innovativeness of SMEs
• Since 2006 public sector organisations are also
  eligible for support (RAAK-Public)

10
Funding of research (2)

• Overall budget of RAAK (Ministry Education
  Science) x 1000 Euro
• (co-funding by SME and organisations)

11
Performance criteria for RAAK subsidies

• Number of SMEs that have structural contacts with
  educational institutions
• Share of lecturers involved in knowledge exchange
  with SMEs
• Share of students that is involved in knowledge
  exchange with SMEs

12
Evaluation of lectorate and knowledge circles

• Based on 113 lectors with mean appointment of 0,6
  fte and 10 lecturers
• Initial evaluation of the scheme was positive
• Increased collaboration in research projects
• Knowledge circulation with firms / institutions
  intensified
• Teaching staff more involved in the knowledge
  circles, research activities
• Positive effect on curriculum development /
  innovations

13
Qualifications of staff

• HBOs traditionally strong teaching institutions
• Staff have high teaching loads
• Not employed to become researchers
• Only 5 of lecturers have a PhD
• Qualifications
• Lectors should have a PhD (?)
• Balance academic and professional background
• Teaching staff should develop research
  competences
• PhD trajectories in collaboration with
  universities

14
Problems and challenges

• Professional 2nd and 3rd cycle (and funding
  thereof)
• Development of professional doctorates
• OECD 2007 HBO too regionally focused, needs more
  internationalisation, staff PhDs, short-cycle
  programmes and RD capacity
• OECD 2007 suggests more concentration of lectors
  to increase synergy

15
Conclusion new chances

• More emphasis on entrepreneurship
• More attention for venture capital to foster
  innovation
• New approaches to learning balance between
  academic and practical training through research
  projects.
• Future funding
• Current RAAK subsidies will be continued to 2010
• New regulation RAAK- RRO funds to improve the
  research infrastructure in HBOs and critical mass
• Extended possibilities for collaboration with
  other research institutes participation in
  research funded by Research Council, FP-7 of the
  EU