What is the broader context for research assessment reform? What role does CoARA play in shaping the future of research evaluation? How does it impact institutions, and how do approaches vary among EDUC-WIDE partners?
To address these questions and foster awareness, EDUC-WIDE partners organized a simultaneous awareness-raising event across the three widening countries – Ukraine, Hungary, and Czechia. The goal was to disseminate knowledge about research assessment reform among institutional stakeholders: experts, managers, and researchers.
Keynote Speeches by Advanced Partners
The event featured keynote presentations by representatives from Advanced partner universities:
Ramón A. Feenstra (UJI) discussed the Responsible Use of Metrics in Research Evaluation, presenting the approach taken at Universitat Jaume I to encourage a more reflective, context-aware use of metrics. His talk also explored how the CoARA Agreement is influencing institutional policies, offering both opportunities and challenges for academic culture and governance.
Luciano Colombo (UNICA) delivered a presentation titled The Open Science Paradigm & UniCa: Principles, Practices, and Challenges. He delved into the core principles of Open Science – such as open access publishing, data sharing, citizen science, and research integrity – and demonstrated how these principles are being incorporated into the institutional strategies at the University of Cagliari.
Institutional Presentations from Widening Partners
Each of the three widening universities presented their national and institutional perspectives on research assessment. These sessions were complemented by local programming that covered core aspects of CoARA's methodology, Qualitative or relation of CoARA Principles with local institution attitude.
Precarpathian National University (Ukraine): Improving the Methodology for Assessing Scientific Research in Ukraine: Lessons from EU Experience;
University of Pécs (Hungary): Directions for Improving the System of Science Assessment in Hungary and the CoARA Process at the University of Pécs;
Masaryk University (Czechia): More Than Metrics: Exploring Research Assessment Regimes.
Even more important than the presentation itself were local discussions and interactions between participants. Without having members of the academic community on board, research assessment reform would stay halfway. Through these discussions, local events helped to raise awareness of the necessity of the reform and provoke learning that enables better acceptance of emerging reforming ideas.
Emerging Insights
A unifying message emerged from all EDUC-WIDE universities, whether Advanced or Widening: although national contexts differ, all institutions are confronting similar challenges in implementing the CoARA principles.
The shared goal for all EDUC universities is clear – liberating the research landscape from the overreliance on metrics, dismantling the "publish or perish" culture, and moving away from simplistic reliance on high-impact factors as career benchmarks. Within this goal, especially in Widening countries, should also link these imperatives with deeper mental change in academia, change the quality notion, and improve their research culture towards more trust and responsibility.