Teaching and Research in Binary Systems of Higher Education: Convergent or Distinctive Profiles?

Binary systems are based on a clear distinction between universities and the other higher education institutions focusing on professional education. It can be questioned whether such a sharp distinction still holds considering the research ambitions of the Universities of Applied Sciences in Europe. On the basis of outcomes of the survey on the international academic profession (CAP) this trend will further be explored especially regarding the extended tasks of UAS staff in carrying out applied and practice-oriented research. In the analysis the perceptions of academic staff on different positions and in different career stages will be taken into account. It is argued that the research at these institutions can be delineated from university research and constitutes a legitimate basis for sustaining the binary divide that tends to be supported and regulated by public policy.