IDSI has joined CoARA - Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment

Information Society Development Institute (IDSI) has joined the Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA). IDSI became a signatory of the Agreement on Reforming Research Assessment, approved in December 2022 by more than 640 research institutions and universities in Europe and beyond.

CoARA is an initiative that proposes a concrete support platform for all research institutions, with the objective of contributing to the development of new research assessment methods and practices. This action, carried out at the initiative of the directly interested parties, such as research funding organisations, research performing organisations and assessment authorities, research infrastructures, is complementary to the strategic directions established by the European Commission as part of the New European Research Area.

Considering that research is an international endeavour, CoARA addresses research institutions worldwide, invites them to join its efforts, and aims to collaborate with any organization that has similar initiatives. The CoARA secretariat is provided by the European Science Foundation – Science Connect (ESF-SC).

The Agreement on Reforming Research Assessment sets a shared direction for changes in assessment practices for research, researchers and research performing organisations, with the overarching goal to maximise the quality and impact of research. The agreement focuses on 10 major commitments, including suggestions on practical tools and options for achieving the stated commitments:

1. Recognise the diversity of contributions to, and careers in, research in accordance with the needs and nature of the research.

2. Base research assessment primarily on qualitative evaluation for which peer review is central, supported by responsible use of quantitative indicators.

3. Abandon inappropriate uses in research assessment of journal- and publication-based metrics, in particular inappropriate uses of Journal Impact Factor (JIF) and h-index.

4. Avoid the use of rankings of research organisations in research assessment.

5. Commit resources to reforming research assessment as is needed to achieve the organisational changes committed to.

6. Review and develop research assessment criteria, tools and processes.

7. Raise awareness of research assessment reform and provide transparent communication, guidance, and training on assessment criteria and processes as well as their use.

8. Exchange practices and experiences to enable mutual learning within and beyond the Coalition.

9. Communicate progress made on adherence to the Principles and implementation of the Commitments.

10. Evaluate practices, criteria and tools based on solid evidence and the state-of-the-art in research on research, and make data openly available for evidence gathering and research.

Several working groups have been set up within CoARA, focused on various aspects of research assessment. One of these is the Working Group on Open Infrastructures for Responsible Research Assessment, led by representatives of OpenAIRE (IDSI is a member) and CWTS at Leiden University.

More than 560 research institutions from Europe and around the world are part of the CoARA coalition, including 2 organizations from the Republic of Moldova - Information Society Development Institute and Moldova State University.