Addressing debates related to CoARA

CoARA’s position:

CoARA applies to all forms of research assessment (individuals, projects, organisations, national frameworks, etc.) and is relevant to all aspects of research assessment.  

CoARA’s position:

This is not a zero-sum game. Not diversity vs. excellence but diversity for excellence. Widening participation in research and rewarding transparent and open scientific conduct, as well as a diversity of outputs, are all strongly related to research quality. They are key in increasing trust and overall quality of research and keeping innovators in the research domain. Besides, enabling the assessment of a broader pool of contributors, processes, and outputs can lead to better-informed decisions on quality. 

CoARA’s position:

CoARA seeks to define more clearly what we (should) value in research without resorting to vague and poorly defined concepts. Relying on diverse outputs, practices and activities contributes to an informed redefinition of key values of high-quality research.  

CoARA’s position:

CoARA understands the difference and seeks to recognise and reward both. 

One cannot leave the prerequisites unrewarded. In actual practice, prerequisites are in place only when rewarded. The implementation of global Open Science mandates is a case in point. Open Science is not an end goal but rather a prerequisite, yet without proper incentive structures, it will never become the modus operandi.  

CoARA’s position:

The second commitment of the Agreement clearly states: “Base research assessment primarily on qualitative evaluation for which peer review is central, supported by responsible use of quantitative indicators.” To support the responsible use of a diverse set of indicators, CoARA has a Working Group dedicated to Responsible metrics and indicators. 

CoARA is not prescriptive in nature. Instead, it aims to facilitate broad exchange and eventually endorse and facilitate the broad implementation of a diverse set of metrics and responsible, context-sensitive guidelines on their uses. CoARA encourages its member organisations to reflect on their own institutional values and missions and see how these can be meaningfully mapped onto the responsible use of a combination of qualitative and quantitative approaches.

CoARA’s position:

The development of the Agreement and CoARA have been facilitated by the European Commission (EC), but CoARA is an independent international coalition, with over 600 members and the EC is one of the members, with the same rights and obligations as other members.  

The CoARA Governance (as specified in the Governance document) clearly puts decision-making and control in the hands of its members. The EC is not a member of the CoARA Steering Board but has been nominated as an observer to the board to help create synergies with the ERA Forum, other European initiatives (such as EOSC, ORE, European Universities Alliances) and with global fora.   

Operational support (e.g. contributing to the interim Secretariat), and financial support (e.g. hiring an independent expert to help with the preparation of the Agreement, and financing of the Horizon Europe CoARA Boost project to support CoARA operations) from an international research funder have been practical and necessary steps in building a global coalition. It is not the kind of undertaking that one RPO or national funder could or should have initiated alone.  

CoARA’s position:

Members can define their level of involvement, ranging from participating in the General Assembly twice per year and creating, implementing their action plans, to engaging in multiple Working Groups aligned with their interests, in their respective National Chapters, and/or other CoARA-related activities. Investing in the reform benefits member organisations in multiple ways: they can gain and exchange knowledge, coordinate their own reform efforts and co-shape the strategic directions.  

CoARA’s position:

Participation in the coalition does not involve membership fees. Members commit by implementing the Agreement and participating in knowledge-exchange mechanisms around CoARA. Additional support from members (e.g. donations, hosting events etc.) is welcome but not mandatory.