This report provides an overview of relevant policy information and stakeholders’ views on quality-related funding, performance agreements and profiling in a number of selected countries. The study is conducted for the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science. It is envisaged to feed into the Dutch higher education debate around profiling and the potential instruments that can stimulate a more diversified higher education system. The report particularly focuses on instruments in the domain of teaching, but cannot escape from describing some major issues that address research as well. The countries selected for this study have in one way or another recently gone through a process to stimulate quality, diversity, profiling or performance agreements.1 The countries provide a variety of perspectives and insights about policies, objectives, trade-offs and the struggle to achieve the desired effects. Where possible the opinions and expectations from stakeholders are reflected.