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Excellence Schemes, Higher Education

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Encyclopedia of International Higher Education Systems and Institutions

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Synonyms

Excellence Framework; Funding for Excellence

Definition of Excellence Schemes

In the context of higher education (HE), an excellence scheme or program refers to funding programs launched by national governments in which large amounts of money are directed at several universities in the national HE system with the purpose of raising their level to “excellent.” While most of the funding programs, competitive-based funding projects in teaching and research, and even basic funding can be directed for “excellence” purposes, excellence schemes are distinguished from those by the high selectivity of the institutions involved and the large amounts of funding directed at these institutions.

Emergence of Excellence Schemes

The main motivation for the existence of excellence schemes comes from the greater international competition between Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). At the teaching/student level, the increased mobility of students and the expansion of English as a universal...

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CIPES - Centre for Research in Higher Education Policies, Porto, Portugal

    Ricardo Biscaia

  2. Universidade Portucalense Infante D. Henrique, Porto, Portugal

    Ricardo Biscaia

Authors
  1. Ricardo Biscaia
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Correspondence to Ricardo Biscaia .

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Biscaia, R. (2017). Excellence Schemes, Higher Education. In: Encyclopedia of International Higher Education Systems and Institutions. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9553-1_64-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9553-1_64-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-017-9553-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-017-9553-1

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