National Chapters (NCs) are dedicated to assisting CoARA members in implementing the commitments of the Agreement on Reforming Research Assessment in a national/regional context. NCs are proposed at the initiative of CoARA members, and participation from members is voluntary. Any CoARA member from the given country can participate in the call for their respective NC. NCs contribute to CoARA’s work by facilitating the exchange of knowledge, mutual learning, and discussions on CoARA-relevant issues specific to different types of organisations in a given country. NCs should develop concrete tasks and outputs within a timeframe of two years. These outputs/deliverables are expected to support the implementation of the Agreement as a whole in their national context(s). NCs should add value beyond current efforts within the country. They are expected to be inclusive, involving at least half of the CoARA member organisations from the country concerned. Mechanisms should also be put in place to ensure that a broader range of organisations, including those outside CoARA, can contribute to and benefit from the NC. NCs should commit to sharing lessons learnt with other NCs and fostering synergies and mutual learning with relevant CoARA Working Groups.
The Call for CoARA National Chapters is ongoing. Applications reviewed on a monthly basis! Please find criteria on the approval of National Chapters outlined here.
Are you a CoARA member and interested in joining a National Chapter? Please find contacts affiliated with each National Chapter listed below.
Are you interested in forming a new National Chapter? The approval guidelines for National Chapters are outlined here. Applications for establishing National Chapters are submitted via the online form, please note: without the possibility to upload a file.
Andorra
The Nation Chapter aims to create a platform for Andorran members of CoARA to exchange knowledge and engage in mutual learning regarding issues unique to Andorra and other small countries and territories. This effort is aimed at integrating global principles into local contexts, covering aspects such as peer review processes, revisions to promotion criteria and alternative career pathways, ethical metrics, and a more coordinated and systematic approach toward reforming research assessment on a national level in line with European and international developments of the CoARA agreement.
Cyprus
The University of Cyprus is the leading academic and research institution in Cyprus. It will participate in the National Chapter with two of its entities: The Research and Innovation Support Service, and the SInnoPSis research unit in Science and Innovation Policy and Studies formed in January 2022 as a result of the SInnoPSis ERA Chair funded project. The European Office of Cyprus (EOC) is a non-profit, non-governmental organisation based in Nicosia, with a representation office in Brussels and in Athens. It is expected that UCY and EOC will lead the way and mentor other universities and research institutions to comprehend and endorse the CoARA vision and resulting transformations in research […]
Finland
The mission is to support the entire Finnish research community in its journey towards a quality focused assessment culture that recognises the full diversity and impact of academic work. The main objectives are: 1. to raise awareness and discussion about the importance of approaches to assessment that incentivise, reflect and reward the plural characteristics of high-quality research, in support of diverse, inclusive and open research cultures. 2. to engage all types of stakeholders in the movement for change: ministries, universities, universities of applied sciences, research institutes and other research performing organisations, public funding agencies and private foundations, including organisations […]
France
In France are different institutions (evaluation and funding agencies, employers such as national research organisations and universities), which conduct evaluations of different types: National Research Organisations, Universities, evaluation and funding agencies, research units, research projects, recruitment and career promotion, bonuses, etc. The added value of the national chapter will be to create a common knowledge by sharing each process when establishing the French state of the art in each institution. Objectives include the coordination of the French members participating in CoARA; reporting and sharing information on ongoing work within CoARA, especially within the CoARA WG; creating synergy between specialists […]
Germany
The National Chapter functions as a forum for the discussion and coordination of CoARA matters specific to the German research landscape. These topics could include assessment-relevant aspects of financial incentive structures inscribed in German (state or federal) law or statutes of universities / higher education institutions or associations, legislative developments, or novel funding schemes of national importance. Moreover, the NC supports the reform of research assessment practices and culture in practical ways. The NC is a relevant player in the research landscape, which aims strengthening the cultural change (via assessment, administrative or governance and other reforms as well as changes […]
Hungary
The mission of the Hungarian National Chapter is to harmonise and align the development and update of assessment systems of the participant Hungarian entities on national level along the CoARA commitments in order to create a framework for the interoperability of assessment. Targeted objectives are: initiating a discussion and exchange forum for establishment of the state of the art of research assessment in the participating institutions, evaluation to what extent these are compliant or not with CoARA commitments; assessing the possible and feasible changes, as well as the hurdles and bottlenecks in their institutional implementation; identifying external factors with influence on the change process […]
Ireland
The Chapter will provide a platform for Irish members of CoARA to exchange knowledge, mutual learning on issues that are specific to Ireland (peer review processes, revision of promotion criteria, Irish funding agency adoption of DORA and/or other statements on the responsible use of research metrics). Key objectives of the Chapter include: building a network of diverse stakeholders from across the Irish research ecosystem; raising awareness and promote understanding of Responsible Research Assessment (RRA) amongst the research community, and taking on board the insights from this community on challenges faced across disciplines and career stages; supporting members to broaden what they value […]
Italy
The main aims of the Italian National Chapter are to (i) enable mutual learning, share best practices, and raise awareness of best responsible assessment practices and indicators in the national community on the ongoing research assessment reform (CoARA commitments 7-8), and (ii) foster the discussion about the reviewing and development of assessment criteria, tools and processes for assessing research institutions, individual researchers and projects (CoARA commitment 6). This outreach effort will support the implementation of the reform at the national level and will contribute to attract more institutions and stakeholders to sign the agreement. The main activities will be focused on […]
Norway
The NORCAM National Chapter is a network organised by Universities Norway. Most Norwegian institutions are already working with implementing the principles of NORCAM, which is highly aligned with the principles of ARRA and CoARA. By working with NORCAM, the members are also meeting the expectations in both core and supporting commitments of ARRA. Hence, the NORCAM National Chapter has two interlinked purposes: 1. To share experiences and best practices on the development of institutional versions of the NORCAM framework 2. To create an arena for discussing and sharing practical and strategic aspects of the European Agreement on Reforming Research Assessment (ARRA) and the work and processes linked […]
Poland
The Polish National Chapter (NC-PL) was initiated by the Jagiellonian University and the Koszalin University of Technology, under the auspices of the Conference of Rectors of Academic Schools in Poland and the Polish Academy of Sciences, to monitor the commitments declared by individual signatories so that they are coherent and complementary. At present it brings together 37 CoARA signatories and aims to actively engage researchers, from PhD candidates to reputable leaders, as well as science managers to discuss key topics from a variety of viewpoints. The main mission of the NC-PL is to assess the coherence of the solutions agreed within the Coalition with the current national regulations, and to balance common principles and institutional […]
Portugal
The Portuguese National Chapter is a collaborative platform that will enhance and contextualize CoARA’s commitments to action and the debate on research assessment reform within the Portuguese research landscape and institutional diversity, also bringing the Agreement to the forefront of ongoing national initiatives and contributing to a wider adherence to it. Its main objectives are: Raise awareness within the national community of the Agreement principles and CoARA’s commitments to action (Commitment 7). Enable mutual learning and the communication of progress in implementing member institutions’ Roadmaps and action plans, as well as their collaboration in CoARA’s Working Groups […]
Spain
The National Chapter Spain is jointly led by the National Agency for Quality Assessment and Accreditation of Spain (ANECA), the Conference of Rectors of Spanish Universities (Crue) and the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC). Its mission is to support the reform of research assessment in Spain, recognising the diverse outputs, practices and activities that maximise the quality and impact of research. The objectives of the Spanish Chapter are in close connection with the commitments of the Agreement, with particular attention to creating a joint initiative to promote and support the revision and development of the research assessment criteria, tools, and processes in Spain, in line […]
Sweden
This proposal is a major effort between SUHF, the Association of Swedish Higher Education Institutions, and national research funders in Sweden to work together to find common grounds on the definitions and criteria how to assess research in the future. While SUHF and the Swedish Research Council (SRC) have since 2021 arranged annual workshops where the whole sector has been involved in discussions on defining the major obstacles, there is now an emergent need to move forward. In 2022, SUHF appointed a working group with the task of developing a national framework for merit assessment at Swedish higher education institutions, also triggered by the call for an updated Open Science strategy […]
Switzerland
The National Chapter brings together Swiss cantonal and federal universities, universities of applied sciences and funders, covering Switzerland’s different language regions and reflecting the variety of its higher education and research landscape. While the different institutions have been engaged in individual initiatives fostering Open Science, EDI and/or responsible research assessment more generally and plan to be involved in different CoARA working groups, the Swiss National Chapter ensures a more coordinated and systematic approach towards reforming research assessment on a national level, in line with European and international developments […]
Ukraine
The mission of CoARA National Chapter Ukraine is to advance the growth of Ukraine’s knowledge-driven economy for the post-war recovery by reforming the country’s research and higher education system through advancing research assessment based on CoARA principles and prioritising Open Science. Objectives include: (1) Adapting the CoARA best practices to Ukrainian reality, especially for various research fields and career stages. (2) Coordinating National efforts in CoARA principles implementation and related discussion while providing expert support to Ukrainian authorities. (3) Discussing and experimenting with (open) peer review as the central instrument for qualitative evaluation of research […]
United Kingdom
The UK National Chapter supports CoARA members and signatories to reflect on their ambitions for reform of research assessment and provides a space to discuss ways of bringing about this reform. By sharing our successes and lessons learnt, we can work together to bring about meaningful change in our organisations and across the sector. The Chapter is open to and will engage with organisations outside of CoARA to communicate the benefits and implications of the agreement. Finally, the Chapter will support the coordination of research assessment activities relevant to the UK, e.g. UK representation on CoARA Working Groups and sharing of outcomes […]
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