CoARA Boost: Advancing Research Assessment Reform - MCAA Magazine March 2024

Research evaluation plays a crucial role in the academic environment. However, there is often an emphasis on the simplistic use of metrics and traditional publications in prestigious publication venues, which overlooks the diverse range of research contributions and the principles of open science and research integrity. This is why, one of the critical priorities of the European Research Area (ERA) Policy Agenda is reshaping the research assessment. In 2022, The European Commission worked with a wide range of stakeholders to create an agreement called “Reforming research assessment.”

The Agreement on Research Assessment Reform sets out a shared direction outlining changes in evaluating research, scholars and research organisations. to pave the way towards a systemic reform of assessment of research, researchers and research organisations that recognises the diverse outputs, practices and activities that maximise the quality and impact of research. It defines the principles, commitments and a timeline for implementing these reforms. Furthermore, it establishes the core values for a coalition of organisations dedicated to working towards these transformations. So far, this initiative gained support from 622 organisations (their number is constantly growing) endorsing the agreement and of them, nearly 600 organisations forming a coalition called CoARA (Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment).

To support the CoARA and its activities, the European Commission funded a project called CoARA Boost. The project aims to enhance CoARA’s operational capacity. The main actions of the CoARA Boost project include:

Strengthening operational support to the coalition, including sharing of information, knowledge and raising awareness.

Providing cascade funding to contribute to institutional changes to a significant number of diverse organisations across geographical areas. At least 50 projects will be funded from a total budget of 2.75 million €.

Contributing to the implementation of institutional changes for reforming research assessment, including supporting signatories in compiling and executing their action plans towards the achievement of the agreed 10 commitments.

Providing assistance to Working Groups in their exploration of new models of research assessment.

Expanding the outreach of European efforts to reform research assessment by growing the membership of CoARA globally and enforcing international cooperation on evolutions in research.

Over the years, the MCAA has been a strong advocate of reforming research assessment. MCAA is an early signatory of the CoARA. As a partner of the CoARA Boost project, the MCAA is co-leading Work Package 4 together with the YERUN, to provide support to the CoARA Working Groups (WGs). In this WP, the MCAA is leading the development of the operational framework to support the CoARA WGs as defined by the Steering Board of the CoARA. The MCAA will also establish the CoARA Co-Chairs forum to facilitate collaboration among the different CoARA Working Groups. Additionally, the MCAA will support to expand the reach and increase membership in Europe and beyond. This year, the MCAA will provide support to the following three working groups:

• Improving practices in the assessment of research proposals

• Multilingualism and language biases in research assessment

• Responsible metrics and indicators

Science Europe hosted the project’s kickoff meeting in Brussels on December 7th and 8th, 2023, bringing together key stakeholders and participants. The gathering served as a foundational platform to outline objectives, discuss strategies, and foster collaboration among the involved entities.

In summary, through collaborative efforts among the project partners, the CoARA boost will support CoARA’s goal of the modernisation of assessment standards and methods. The MCAA’s contributions to the CoARA Boost project will be instrumental in advancing CoARA’s mission worldwide.

Overview of the Project

Start Date	October 1, 2023
Duration	36 months
Funding	5 Mil Euro (2.75 M of which will be redistributed as cascade funding)
Coordinator	European Science Foundation (ESF)
Partners	• Agenzia Nazionale di Valutazione del Sistema Universitario e della Ricerca (AVENUR) • All European Academies (ALLEA) • Careers Research and Advisory Centre (CRAC) • Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) • European Science Foundation (ESF) • Hungarian Research Network (HUN-REN) • Marie Curie Alumni Association (MCAA) • Science Europe • Young European Research Universities Network (YERUN)

Further information:

• CoARA Boost information available on the CoARA website: https://coara.eu/coalition/coara-boost-project/

• CoARA’s ten commitments: https://coara.eu/agreement/the-commitments/

• CoARA Action plans: https://coara.eu/agreement/action-plan/

• CoARA Working Groups: https://coara.eu/coalition/working-groups/

• CoARA members: https://coara.eu/coalition/membership/

• Joining the Coalition: https://coara.eu/sign/

Mostafa Moonir Shawrav
Executive Director, MCAA
Twitter @mmshawrav
ORCID 0000-0001-8639-0393