European Agreement on Reforming Research Assessment

From March to November 2021, the European Commission consulted European and international stakeholders on how to facilitate and speed up reform to enable the quality, performance and impact of research and researchers to be assessed on the basis of more appropriate criteria and processes. In July 2022, after a co-creation process involving more than 350 organizations from more than 40 countries, including UOC, the Agreement on Reforming Research Assessment was published.

Based on 10 commitments, the agreement establishes a common direction for research assessment reform, while respecting organizations’ autonomy. The Agreement sets a shared direction for changes in assessment practices for research, researchers and research performing organizations, with the overarching goal to maximize the quality and impact of research. The Agreement includes the principles, commitments and timeframe for reforms and lays out the principles for a Coalition of organizations1 willing to work together in implementing the changes.

Organizations involved in research assessment (based in Europe or further afield) are warmly encouraged to sign the Agreement and to subsequently join the Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA), constituted at the end of 2022.

 

Principles for assessment criteria

Commitments established in the Agreement