National University System research focused on: providers of education (university, higher education institutions), governance of university education (operational and financial governance), and quality control of “output” (teaching, research and student performance). The aim is to build a comparative framework of analysis for university education systems in Turkey and primarily in Italy, Sweden and United Kingdom as well as other European countries that identify the main variables and issues of current convergence, reforms and divergence among the different countries.

In-depth case studies of specific institutions that are role models in their own country / disciplinary domain. The selected cases are: University of Oxford, University of Uppsala, and University of Siena. The three universities are among the oldest in Europe and are leading institutions in many disciplines within their countries and all over the world. Case studies are required to provide a basis of comparison for university institutions and, in the selected cases, for comparison between old, highly legitimated universities and the new ones. Case studies also shed light on differences and similarities among the several institutions in the field of higher education (universities, university colleges, professional schools).