在各種內、外因素交織的影響下，近代高等教育機構的角色與地位面臨了鉅大的轉變。1990年代之後，高等教育首要面對的課題是品質的重視與提升。而品質關乎的不只是教學，研究的品質與成效更是高等教育機構在建立聲望、打造國際競爭力的關鍵要素。德國「聯邦教育與研究部」繼2000年開始進行學程認可，以高等教育機構的教學品質為評鑑對象後，2005年「學術審議會」在聯邦政府委託下，進一步提出「研究分級」制度，積極將品質保證機制轉向研究領域，本研究即以德國的研究評鑑制度為主題。從相關的文件分析與文獻探討中可以看出，德國目前所推動的研究評鑑制度彰顯出幾項在進行研究評鑑時重要的提醒：一、評鑑目的在於透徹了解研究之整體表現；二、評鑑的實施必須考量機構規模之差異；三、評鑑的面向同時考量對內與對外之傳布；四、評鑑指標應顧及學科特色而具有彈性。

Influenced by a variety of internal and external factors, the role and the status of the modern higher education institutions are confronted with a huge change. After the 1990s, the primary issue, which the higher education should deal with, is how to improve and enhance the quality. However, what the quality concerns is not just teaching, but also the effectiveness of research which plays a key role in contributing the prestige and international competitiveness of higher education institutions. Following the implementation of the program accreditation in 2000, which aims to evaluate the quality of teaching in higher education, "Wissenschaftsrat" commissioned by the federal government proposed the "Forschungsrating" (research rating system) in 2005, in order to impose the quality assurance mechanisms also in the research filed. This study focuses thus on the German research evaluation system. By means of the document analysis and literature review it could be seen, that the German research evaluation system point to several important aspects, which should be taken into account, when research evaluation is implemented: 1. Research evaluation should aim to evaluate the research as a whole performance; 2. The differences in the size of the institution should be considered; 3. The knowledge transfer inwards and outwards should simultaneously be evaluated; 4. The indicators should take into account the subject characteristics and stay flexible.