Who we are
We are a leading think tank in the higher education sector with more than 30 years of experience. Our headquarters are in Gütersloh (Germany). Our shareholders are the Bertelsmann Stiftung and the German Rectors’ Conference (HRK).
We are a non-profit and politically independent scientific organisation. On this basis, we are an established point of contact and a sought-after advisor for decision-makers in higher education, public administration and politics. With our data expertise and our well-founded positions, we provide valuable recommendations on higher education policy issues and legislative amendments.
We see ourselves as initiators and critical supporters of reform processes: We identify challenges and problems for which we offer constructive, implementation-orientated impulses and solutions. A key feature of our work is the combination of applied research and practical implementation models with targeted communication.
Our approach, which combines a wide variety of approaches under one roof, from evidence to solution development and implementation, is unique in the German higher education system. In this way, we contribute to more well-founded confidence in society. We make the results of our analyses and research available to politicians, universities and prospective students in a target group-oriented manner.
What we want to achieve
We support universities and policymakers in understanding the current social upheavals, recognizing their implications and developing appropriate solutions to shape the future in a positive way.
Universities have a responsibility to recognize and flexibly address social challenges and needs. To meet the changing needs of those interested in education, who increasingly want a combination of practical relevance and academic rigor, academic and vocational education and training must be more closely interlinked. We are committed to ensuring that universities can cope well with the growing number and diversity of students. Our goal is a high-performance and fair higher education system with diverse, authentic profiles. This is only possible with leaders who are able to utilize room for maneuvering and shape university development in a participatory manner.
State and federal policy must create the necessary framework conditions, grant universities autonomy and reliably secure their funding. Only in this way can universities realize successful studies, innovative research and an effective third mission. Politics also has the task of ensuring fair access to study opportunities. Modern student financing, improved permeability and flexible transitions between educational pathways are essential for this.
We want to empower prospective students to make sustainable decisions for their educational biography in different life situations. This requires transparency about framework conditions and university profiles as well as sound information about study programs and educational pathways.
How we proceed
We see ourselves as a think-and-do-tank. A large part of our work consists of applied research based on empirical analyses and the development of scalable good practices. Our agile approach follows the principle of ‘Evidence – Solutions – Confidence’.
- Create evidence: We identify problem areas and relevant change trends in the global higher education landscape and analyse challenges based on facts. In doing so, we analyse options for action and possible consequences.
- Find solutions: We provide food for thought, stimulate innovation and reflect on reform results. We actively support and help shape upheaval processes such as the Digital Transformation. We identify, develop and implement specific, transferable approaches and solutions. We do this in dialogue with universities and politicians. We also cooperate with various educational and scientific organisations.
- Spread confidence: We empower and encourage stakeholders in positions of responsibility to find suitable options for action and seize opportunities. We also promote this by networking experts and decision-makers from science and politics.
We communicate our results in a target group-oriented manner via service offerings, publications and events. We prepare decision-relevant information in such a way that it is heard at the right place. With the CHE University Ranking, among other things, we support good study decisions through transparency. Our hochschuldaten.de portal provides a freely accessible and detailed overview of Germany as a higher education area. The user-orientated, interactive approach is a special feature of both websites.
We focus on factual, evidence-based messages. We are orientated towards ‘constructive journalism’, in which solutions to problems are considered and conveyed.