About the DZHW
The goals of the DZHW (German Centre for Research on Higher Education and Science Studies) are laid down in the organization's charter (Article 2, Clause 1): “The institute serves as a centre of excellence for research on higher education and science studies, supports research on higher education and science studies in Germany and helps meet the need for research-based services among players in academic and scientific policymaking. It provides state-of-the-art infrastructures for research on higher education and science studies.”
Consequently, the DZHW has three missions. First, it conducts research projects and collects data according to stringent quality standards in the realm of research on higher education and science studies. Indeed, the centre is characterised by its long-term studies, which are unique in Germany, focusing on individuals with higher education entrance qualifications, first-year students, the general student population and graduates, along with a range of scientific studies in the areas of higher education governance and financing. Second, the centre provides research-based services for academic and scientific policymakers. Third, the DZHW is responsible for providing research infrastructures. Within the DZHW, a research data centre will be established for German research on higher education and science studies, which will make the data from the centre and other data-collecting institutions available to researchers.
The DZHW sees itself as part of the academic and scientific community. It works hand-in-hand with the Leibniz University in Hanover, with which it has joined forces to offer a master’s degree in “science and society.” The centre also actively participates in scientific discourse and prepares young scholars for the challenges of research on higher education and science studies.
The DZHW is jointly funded by the German federal and state governments, and was founded in August 2013, in accordance with Article 91 b of the German constitution. It was created from the HIS Institute for Research on Higher Education (HIS-HF), a former division of HIS Hochschul-Informations-System GmbH.
