This project aims at exploring and exploiting the potential of advanced quantitative methods for evaluating the performance of Public Sector Research (PSR). Analysing in particular the system of universities, this is an exploratory project based on the availability of national data at the micro level (university or department) that include at least a minimum set of inputs and outputs. Among the inputs we consider mainly: number of personnel by category (research, technical, administrative);(possibly) number of research personnel by type; funding. Among the output we consider: publications and teaching activities.

It will be possible to build other structural indicators such as size (number of students), specialisation (number of faculties: generalist vs specialist university), agglomeration (density of other HEI in the same area; characterization of the region).

The project is conceived within the European Observatory on Universities under the PRIME Network of Excellence. The Observatory could be seen as an experimental environment, in which decision makers themselves discuss the strategies of universities and characterise the profiles that universities can take.