Research assessment

The paradigm shift implied by Open Science requires a rethinking of the evaluation of research in order to implement its principles. A rethinking of all the parties involved in it, from funding agencies, academic institutions, research staff, etc...

The different recommendations, plans or laws of institutions that promote Open Science coincide in measuring their results in a careful way, abandoning traditional quantitative methods in order to collect or evaluate based on qualitative and impact indicators. Even so, the evaluation of open science as a whole is a complex process that requires taking into consideration different factors and redesigning traditional systems.

The European initiative CoARA (Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment), promoted by Europe Science and the European Universities Association (EUA) with the support of the European Commission, brings together a large number of organisations (in November 2023, some 650) involved in one way or another in the research process and/or its assessment. A participatory process took place during the first months of 2022, which resulted in an agreement containing common principles and commitments to drive systemic reform of research evaluation. This agreement was published in July 2022. In November 2022 the UAB joined, and the signatory organisations include AQU, ANECA, CRUE, CSIC, CERCA and more than thirty other universities in Spain.

You can find more details about CoARA and the active participation of the UAB in this initiative.