The Centre for Research Quality and Policy Impact Studies (R-QUEST) constitutes an 8-year commitment to explore the nature and mechanisms of research quality – funded by the RCN FORINNPOL initiative. The centre will address three closely related questions:
· What is research quality? How are notions of research quality negotiated, established and practiced, and what are the mechanisms through which these notions affect policy? 
 · What are the drivers of high quality research, and what is the role of policy in developing outstanding research? 
 · What are the effects of high quality research on the society? 
Kaare Aagaard leads one of the work packages focusing on studies of national research performance.