Lower Saxony's Higher Education Institution Performance Measurement System (HKS) gives the Lower Saxony Ministry of Science and Culture (MWK) more clarity in identifying the relationship between the performance-related funding allocation by the federal state to the HEIs and internal HEI funding allocation. The HKS is an internet portal that aims to increase transparency relating to the HEI performance parameters applied in the funding allocation system. The core of the HEI Performance Measurement System is the disclosure of these performance data at the level of teaching and research units (LFE).
Performance data for the performance-related funding allocation at the federal state / HEI level are only available in highly aggregated form for the three main subject groups (humanities and social sciences, natural sciences and engineering sciences). Representing the performance parameters in the HEI Performance Measurement System at LFE level increases both transparency and data validity, thus also raising acceptance of the funding allocation system.
The core feature in presenting the findings are special graphs which quickly reveal where profits or losses of performance-related funding have occurred within the HEI and on the basis of what parameters this occurred. The HKS can give the impetus to prompt more effective on-the-spot use of the incentives set by the federal state’s formula. Representing the findings at teaching and research unit level gives the HEIs the chance to carry out a subject-related analysis of strengths and weaknesses.
Because the performance parameters are differentiated to comply with the formula, they are presented as three-yearly averages and supplemented by comprehensive tables. The HKS portal also gives the results of HEIs which do not currently participate in funding allocation via the federal state's formula.
The DZHW supports the MWK Lower Saxony in the installation, maintenance and expansion of the portal. The main findings are also summarised in brief reports for the individual HEIs. This collaboration has operated since 2008 and is initially scheduled to continue up to 2017. The portal will then be expanded to include the results of the capacity calculations and area data, making the information basis even more comprehensive.
The project work is carried out in collaboration by the DZHW's research unit Indicator Systems and Resources and the research area Research Infrastructure and Methods.
