Collaborative Regional Development and Research in Higher Education: In the Perspective of Quality in a University of Applied Sciences

Abstract

Together universities and universities of applied sciences (UASs) form the higher education system as a dual model in Finland. In this setting, there are three statutory tasks for (UAS): 1) education; 2) research and development (R&D); and 3) regional development. In this continuum of research, the overall research question is: How can the regional development be understood, designed, defined and actualised in UAS? This study presents the case study analysis that addresses the actualisation of regional development task in the perspective of quality assurance. The analysis includes systematic and empirical data collection and evaluation of quality systems by the Finnish Higher Education Evaluation Council between 2002 and 2012. Here, the repositioning of innovation-driving industry and services, UAS, and government relations take place in quality assurance. The focus is on the reconsideration of the quality system due to innovation networks, co-created innovations, the contributions of lead innovations and regional development that has an impact on social and global improvement. The purpose is that a quality assurance and assessments are vi-tal for regional R&D, participator’s co-creations, creativity, and regional-international R&D collaboration.