IQS – Institut des Bundes für Qualitätssicherung im österreichischen Schulwesen

What IQS – Institut des Bundes für Qualitätssicherung im österreichischen Schulwesen does

IQS (Institut des Bundes für Qualitätssicherung im österreichischen Schulwesen) is an Austrian federal institute headquartered at Alpenstraße 121, 5020 Salzburg, subordinated to the Austrian Federal Ministry for Education (BMB). Established by federal law (BGBl. I Nr. 50/2019) and operational since July 1, 2020, IQS succeeded the Bundesinstitut für Bildungsforschung, Innovation & Entwicklung des österreichischen Schulwesens (BIFIE), inheriting approximately two decades of expertise in educational competency measurement. The institute operates with 64 employees and a Scientific Advisory Board chaired by Norbert Maritzen, with IQS Director Dr. Robert Klinglmair reappointed for a further term in May 2025.

The institute's core product is iKM PLUS (Individuelle Kompetenzmessung PLUS), an online competency measurement system delivered through the platform ikmplus.iqs.gv.at, covering German, Mathematics, and English at primary (grades 3–4) and secondary (grades 7–8) school levels. The platform supports a modular architecture (Basismodule, Bonusmodule, Fokusmodule, Zyklusmodule) and delivers competency-level results tied to national Bildungsstandards. Supporting instruments include MIKA-D (German language competence assessment, with version 2.0 planned for school year 2026/27) and USB PluS (language observation tool). IQS additionally coordinates Austria's participation in six international comparative studies (PISA, PIRLS, TIMSS, ICILS, ICCS, TALIS), produces the triennial Nationaler Bildungsbericht, maintains the Forschungsdatenbibliothek for secondary research use, and operates the Indikatorendatenbank.

IQS is funded entirely through the federal education budget with no commercial revenue model; participation in iKM PLUS is mandatory for Austrian public schools under the Bildungsstandards regulation (BGBl. II Nr. 1/2009). The institute reaches teachers and administrators through the Virtuelle PH online training platform (in cooperation with BMBWF), academic conferences (ÖFEB, ECER, IEA, DeGEval), scientific publications, and a YouTube channel. Strategic cooperation agreements are maintained with Austrian universities (Salzburg, Innsbruck, Klagenfurt, Vienna), Pädagogische Hochschulen (Steiermark, Tirol, Wien), and international partners (Universität zu Köln, Technische Universität Chemnitz, Lancaster University).

Name

IQS – Institut des Bundes für Qualitätssicherung im österreichischen Schulwesen

Legal name

Institut des Bundes für Qualitätssicherung im österreichischen Schulwesen

Website

https://iqs.gv.at

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

IQS is the Austrian federal institute under the Federal Ministry for Education that conducts nationwide competency measurement in primary and secondary schools via its iKM PLUS platform, coordinates international studies such as PISA and PIRLS, and produces the National Education Report, funded entirely through the federal budget.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Educational Assessment and Quality Assurance

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDADAFAG

Psychometric Standards, Test Development & Validation Authorities

Education/Education Administration, Accreditation & Policy/Assessment, Examinations & Qualifications Authorities

SECONDARYEDAFAFAG

Assessment Analytics & Item/Question Intelligence (IRT, Item Banks, Diagnostic Insights)

Education/Education Technology (EdTech) & Digital Learning/Education Analytics, Adaptive Learning & AI Tutoring Platforms

SECONDARYEDADAIAC

Education Reporting, Dashboards & Business Intelligence (BI)

Education/Education Administration, Accreditation & Policy/Education Data, Reporting & Accountability Systems

SECONDARYEDAGAKAE

Assessment & Item Writing / Test Content Development

Education/Educational Publishing & Learning Content/Instructional Design & Content Development Services

Keywords

• Educational assessment services
• Student competency measurement
• Educational quality assurance
• National testing programs
• Education policy research

Headquarters

HQ city

Salzburg

HQ country

Austria

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: IQS is a government institute (Bundesinstitut) subordinate to the Austrian Federal Ministry of Education (BMB). It operates as a public sector institution funded through government budgets. No commercial revenue model exists.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

IQS is the Austrian federal institute for quality assurance in the school system, operating under the Federal Ministry of Education (BMB). It designs, administers, and analyses national competency assessments (iKM PLUS) for primary and secondary school students, coordinates Austria's participation in international comparative studies (PISA, PIRLS, TIMSS, ICILS, ICCS, TALIS), and produces the triennial National Education Report together with supporting research data infrastructure.

Product overview

IQS operates as a unified platform-plus-modules educational quality assurance system for Austrian schools. The core product is iKM PLUS (Individuelle Kompetenzmessung PLUS), an adaptive assessment system combining former IKM and BIST-Ü functions, delivered through specialized sub-products for Volksschule (primary) and Sekundarstufe (secondary), with an online platform for administration and evaluation. Supporting instruments include MIKA-D for language assessment and USB PluS for language observation. IQS also coordinates six international comparative studies (PISA, PIRLS, TIMSS, ICILS, ICCS, TALIS), produces the triennial Nationaler Bildungsbericht, maintains a Forschungsdatenbibliothek for secondary data use, and provides an Indikatorendatenbank for education system statistics.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• iKM PLUS (Individuelle Kompetenzmessung PLUS): Individual competency measurement system for Austrian schools covering German, Mathematics, and English assessments at primary and secondary levels.
• MIKA-D
• USB PluS
• Forschungsdatenbibliothek (FDB)

Products and services

• iKM PLUS (Individuelle Kompetenzmessung PLUS) A national competency measurement system for Austrian school students that captures subject-related and cross-subject competencies, combining functions of informal competence measurement and educational standards assessments, with modules for primary and secondary schools.
• iKM PLUS – Volksschule Primary-school sub-product of iKM PLUS assessing German and Mathematics competencies at grades 3 and 4, including basic, bonus, focus, and cycle modules.
• iKM PLUS – Sekundarstufe Secondary-school sub-product of iKM PLUS assessing German, Mathematics, and English competencies at grades 7 and 8, including basic, bonus, and focus modules.
• Onlineplattform iKM PLUS Central online platform (ikmplus.iqs.gv.at) for administering iKM PLUS assessments, delivering tests, and providing result reporting and feedback to schools.
• MIKA-D Instrument for teachers to assess German language competence of children and adolescents to determine (extraordinary) student status.
• USB PluS Language proficiency observation and language education tool supporting teachers with linguistic diversity in everyday school life.
• PISA Coordination (Austria) Coordination of Austria's participation in the Programme for International Student Assessment, conducted every three years to assess reading, mathematics, and science competencies of 15/16-year-old students.
• PIRLS Coordination (Austria) Coordination of Austria's participation in the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study, assessing reading competencies of grade 4 students every five years.
• TIMSS Coordination (Austria) Coordination of Austria's participation in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study, assessing mathematics and science competencies of grades 4 and 8 students every four years.
• ICILS Coordination (Austria) Coordination of Austria's participation in the International Computer and Information Literacy Study, assessing computer and information-related competencies of grade 8 students.
• ICCS Coordination (Austria) Coordination of Austria's participation in the International Civic and Citizenship Education Study on political and democracy education for grade 8 students.
• TALIS Coordination (Austria) Coordination of Austria's participation in the OECD Teaching and Learning International Survey, providing international comparative data on conditions for teaching and learning.
• Nationaler Bildungsbericht (NBB) National Education Report providing data, facts, analyses, and problem areas for the Austrian education system, published approximately every three years.
• Forschungsdatenbibliothek (FDB) Research data library that archives and documents data from educational standards assessments and makes them available for scientific secondary use.
• Indikatorendatenbank Statistical database containing information about the Austrian school system for indicators and education reporting.

Quantifiable outcome

• National coverage of Austrian schools in competency assessments
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• Universität SalzburgcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIQS cooperates with the University of Salzburg's Department of Educational Sciences and School of Education in research, teaching, and personnel development, as well as junior researcher promotion.
• Universität InnsbrucksecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerIQS cooperates with the University of Innsbruck's Language Testing Research Group (Dr. Benjamin Kremmel) for subject-didactic cooperation in test development for iKMPLUS Receptive Skills, focusing on construct definition, item writing, feedback, and supporting materials.
• Universität KlagenfurtcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIQS cooperates with the University of Klagenfurt in research, teaching, and junior researcher promotion.
• Pädagogische Hochschule SteiermarkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIQS cooperates with the University of Teacher Education Styria in research, teaching, and junior researcher promotion.
• Pädagogische Hochschule TirolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIQS cooperates with the University of Teacher Education Tyrol in research, teaching, and junior researcher promotion.
• Pädagogische Hochschule WiencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIQS cooperates with the University of Teacher Education Vienna in research, teaching, and junior researcher promotion.
• Universität zu KölnsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerIQS cooperates with the Institute for German Language and Literature II (Prof. Jörg Jost) for subject-didactic cooperation in test development for iKMPLUS Writing in primary and secondary schools, focusing on construct definition, item writing, feedback, and supporting materials.
• Technische Universität ChemnitzsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerIQS cooperates with the Center for Teacher Education (Prof. Michael Krelle) for subject-didactic cooperation in test development for iKMPLUS Reading and Listening in primary and secondary schools, focusing on construct definition, item writing, feedback, and supporting materials.
• Lancaster UniversitysecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerIQS cooperates with Linguistics & English Language department (Prof. Tineke Brunfaut, Prof. Luke Harding) for subject-didactic cooperation in test development for iKMPLUS Receptive Skills at secondary level, focusing on construct definition and item writing.
• DeGEval – Gesellschaft für EvaluationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIQS is a member of DeGEval – Society for Evaluation and regularly participates in exchange of experience with other scientific institutions to ensure high-quality evaluations. The society's central goals are the professionalization of evaluation and the integration of different perspectives in evaluation theory and practice.
• Österreichische Agentur für wissenschaftliche Integrität (ÖAWI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIQS is a member of the Austrian Agency for Scientific Integrity (ÖAWI), which promotes Good Scientific Practice in Austrian research and education. The agency focuses on prevention and education rather than sanctioning, and IQS is committed to contributing to scientific integrity through its membership.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER): Independent research body coordinating international large-scale assessments (including TIMSS and PIRLS participation) and developing competency measurement instruments. It mirrors IQS's role as both a national assessment authority and an international study coordinator.
• Cito: Dutch educational measurement and testing organization that develops national student monitoring systems (Cito Volgsysteem, Cito-toets). It is comparable to IQS in delivering standardized competency measurement for primary and secondary education at a national level.
• Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC) – PCAP/PCEEP: CMEC coordinates pan-Canadian assessments of student achievement in mathematics, reading, and science. Its function as a national coordinator of standardized competency assessments mirrors IQS's coordinating role for Austria in international and national measurement programs.
• Institut zur Qualitätsentwicklung im Bildungswesen (IQB): German federal institute at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin responsible for developing and validating educational standards assessments. It is the closest functional peer to IQS, also serving a national education system with psychometric test development; its director (Petra Stanat) sits on IQS's Scientific Advisory Board.
• National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP): The U.S. federally mandated national assessment of student achievement, administered by NCES. It is directly comparable to iKMPLUS in function — a statutory, nationwide competency assessment informing education policy — though at much larger scale.
• Institut für Bildungsmonitorung und Qualitätsentwicklung (IfBQ): Hamburg's state institute for educational monitoring and quality development, conducting large-scale school assessments comparable to iKMPLUS. Its former director chairs IQS's Scientific Advisory Board, and its mandate and methodological approach directly mirror IQS.

Broad incumbents

• Cambridge Assessment: University of Cambridge's assessment organization, delivering English-language proficiency tests, item-writing services, and international benchmarking research. Comparable to IQS in language assessment methodology (relevant to IQS's English iKMPLUS modules), though far broader in commercial scope.
• Educational Testing Service (ETS): Large U.S.-based assessment provider offering standardized tests, psychometric services, and research capabilities (including PISA administration for the U.S.). It overlaps with IQS in psychometric expertise and international study delivery, but operates as a private-sector broad incumbent rather than a national institute.
• Pearson Assessment: Commercial assessment division of Pearson offering standardized competency, diagnostic, and psychometric instruments used across education systems. Comparable in product category (competency measurement instruments) but differs as a private, globally scaled vendor rather than a national institute.

Others

• OECD – Directorate for Education and Skills: International organization that designs and manages PISA, TALIS, and related comparative studies in which IQS participates. It is the institutional counterpart that defines assessment frameworks and consumes IQS's national data rather than competing directly.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/IQS_Oesterreich
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCfake_channel_id
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/iqsgvat

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about IQS – Institut des Bundes für Qualitätssicherung im österreichischen Schulwesen