Although Europe produces a third of the world scientific production, the European research is still behind/after the USA and Japan in terms of dynamism and excellence promoting. Within the knowledge based society, the definition and the “excellence” promoting in research represents a confirmed tendency in the last decade in the international academic environment, useful, on the one hand, for the ranking and benchmarks settling/establishing and, on the other hand, for the application of the programs of excellence support – existent or potential, in research. The universities have, due to their dominant position within the research, education and innovation the key for the development of an economy and a knowledge based society. Nowadays, the European universities hire around 34 % from the total number of the researchers from Europe (Germany – 26 %; Spain – 55 %; Greece – 70 %), at this level being developed 80 % from the fundamental research at European level. Consequently, the universities must define their mission and objectives – relevance and top impact at international, national and regional level.

            For the promoting of excellence in research, in the Romanian academic system a methodological framework is needed in order to define this concept. The aim of this work package is to analyze the international evaluation systems of the excellence in research (ranking and benchmarking) and the elaboration of the evaluation system relevant at international level for the definition and excellence support in the Romanian research.

            Regarding this, the definition of the basic concepts is essential, what excellence means, what relevance at international, national or regional level means, from the point of view of the research, as well as the things that are part of the support measures for what will be defined as “excellence” in research, the time horizons and the necessary resources.

            Also, the identification of benchmarks and the application of a methodology which is meant to differentiate the universities taking into account the performance in research and to fund the excellence in research is designed to increase competition between universities and to stimulate the fundamental research, as well as that applied at the highest level.