Abstract

The Agency for Health Quality and Assessment of Catalonia (AQuAS) is a public organization with a Research Laboratory dedicated to enhancing research practices and policies, the LAB is responsible of the research evaluation of health research calls from Catalan Government.
The Research LAB established in 2018 the SARIS system (Assessment System for Research and Innovation in Health) which evaluates health research funded by Catalonia’s Health Department. SARIS aims to foster societal impact, incorporate open science early in research, go beyond traditional metrics through a "transformational assessment" approach as well as reinforce transparency, responsible resource use, and stakeholder communication.
The LAB acknowledges the importance of supporting stakeholders—researchers, policymakers, evaluators, and research managers—in driving transformative outcomes. Therefore SARIS session were designed in order to offer training sessions to all stakeholders along the entire research calls life, focusing on impact literacy and open science principles such as gender equality, open access, participatory research, and research impact.
SARIS Sessions use a formative evaluation model, offering real-time impact evaluation tools rather than a "fund and forget" approach. This model promotes forward-looking actions to maximize research impact and encourages shared responsibility in ensuring that health research gives response to current social needs. The sessions target various stakeholder groups involved in research calls:
• Sessions with candidates (foreseen) help address specific aspects of calls, like the inclusion of gender perspective or the expected impact of proposals.
• Sessions with evaluators aim to improve qualitative assessments and responsible methods, reducing peer-review bias, the balanced use of quantitative metrics or integrating gender perspectives to enhance responsible evaluation culture.
• Sessions with beneficiaries are held during project implementation to support networking, impact roadmaps, effective communication, and FAIR data practices.
• Sessions with decision-makers raise awareness about changes in the research system, including DORA, COARA, impact assessment, and gender equity in order to improve future calls.
From 2018 to 2024, over 200 stakeholders participated in these sessions, improving their skills in research impact and open science dimensions. SARIS Sessions have been crucial in creating a more sustainable and impactful health research ecosystem in Catalonia, advancing societal change while promoting open science and responsible research practices.