Research in Higher Education Institutions Outside the University Sector

Abstract

The purpose of this chapter is to give a general account of the state of the art of research in higher education institutions outside the university sector through focusing on eight selected European countries: Belgium, the Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Ireland, The Netherlands, Norway and Switzerland. The chapter presents an analytical framework which puts us in a position to discuss and interpret the development of research in this sector. Thereafter, it gives a brief overview of the sector’s research mission and shows how the notion of research is interpreted and used to characterise a wide variety of activities. Furthermore, it gives an overview of central issues related to the implementation of the research mission in this sector, both at the state and the institutional level.