A prActicAl guide Benchmarking in european Higher education

Selecting partners and forming a benchmarking group
Guidelines - Benchmarking partners should:
• Be selected based on a shared understanding of the benchmarking
goals, fields and comparisons, which may or may not rely on existing
inter-institutional contacts
• Have a clear and communicated understanding of the expected
degree of involvement (time, human and financial resources) from the
start
• Ensure a high level of trust within benchmarking networks, as sensitive
data will be exchanged
• Obtain commitment from senior management of all partner higher
education institutions
Once the focus of the benchmarking exercise has been decided, the next
stage is the identification of potential partners, Given the project’s approach,
this section takes the point of view of individual higher education institutions
searching for several partners. But although it does not look explicitly at
one-to-one benchmarking approaches, the same principles apply.
Comparing between higher education institutions with similar characteristics
in terms of profile, size and type of activities as a rule will be more profitable
than comparing with totally different higher education institutions. To
identify higher education institutions with similar profiles to one’s own or a
highly performing higher education institution in a particular area, institutions
will need to use desk research, personal contacts (for example gained
through joint projects or long-standing relations with other institutions) and
memberships in European networks.
A Practical Guide - Benchmarking in European Higher Education
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