Abstract

The assessment of research witnessed a varied and powerful development across the past decades. The most important features however traditionally rely on publication-based metrics. This originates in the ethos of the research profession which requires the outcome of research to be made public, as well as to rate the importance of the outcome and of its author. In parallel assessment has developed several other purposes which serve career advancement, funding, valorification of outcomes, transposition into practice, societal impact, collaborative paths, etc. In this context for some years now research community (and particularly management) became more and more aware that an assessment based exclusively on journal metrics is not anymore appropriate to evaluate the multiple effects an upscaled research work has, neither it is appropriate to support in adequate manner further research development.
Following an extensive evaluation of the situation in 2021 done by the Directorate for Research and Innovation of the European Commission (that was summarized in a Scoping Report – Towards the Reform of Research Assessment) a movement was initiated in order to group stakeholders and interested parties and produce advancement to this aim. In the first instance activity was centred towards creating a framework for action, that would be the creation of the framework of the reform, that currently is in the form of a coalition. This coalition would be established based on a commonly accepted agreement, that has been prepared and ready for implementation. The operation of the coalition also requires a basic structure, that would define the governance of the process.
The aim of the session is to summarize first the current status of research assessment, i.e. were journal based metrics is dominant and its implications on the research community and society at large. Following this we intend to elaborate on the vision developed for the coalition agreement and what would this mean for the research community and how this might impact on the practice of research. Finally, as the enterprise being an international one, with the participation of a large number of stakeholders from different countries, with extremely different research and assessment traditions, as well as operating in varied legal conditions we would consider the possible governance of this heterogenous community.
The session would summarise and contextualise the starting point for the reform initiative in light of current research assessment practice” and not refer to consider possible governance of this heterogenous community .