CoARA is pleased to announce a new partnership with the Latin American Forum for Research Assessment (Foro Latinoamericano sobre Evaluación Científica – FOLEC / Latin American Forum for Research Assessment – CLACSO), a regional initiative aligned with responsible academic and scientific assessment and Open Science. The Argentina-based organisation joins the CoARA Steering Board as an Observer member. As such, they bring unique expertise and perspectives on responsible research assessment from Latin America and the Caribbean to the Steering Board, including topics such as open information systems, multilingualism and bibliodiversity, promotion of national journals, and the recognition of peer review.
Laura I. Rovelli, Coordinator of CLACSO stated:
CLACSO-FOLEC is pleased to join the CoARA Steering Board as Observer to strengthen the dialogue between both organizations and facilitate the joint work for the global reform of research evaluation.
Prof. Rianne Letschert, CoARA President further commented:
CLACSO joining the CoARA Steering Board is an honour for us. Laura and her team bring a wealth of knowledge to CoARA, stemming from their engagement with diverse stakeholders across Latin America. Their participation as an Observer member will facilitate cross-cultural dialogue and cultivate a deeper understanding of the multifaceted challenges and opportunities inherent in a truly systemic and global reform of research assessment.
This collaboration between CLACSO and CoARA is a continuation of previous initiatives. During CoARA’s first General Assembly in June 2023, CLASCO shared its insights, priorities, and ongoing efforts toward fostering a more equitable research and publication ecosystem.
About CLACSO
CLACSO is an international non-governmental institution with associative status at UNESCO, created in 1967. It currently brings together 883 research and postgraduate centres in the fields of social sciences and humanities across 56 countries in Latin America and other continents. CLASCO aims to promote academic collaboration, research, and the exchange of knowledge within the region and beyond. It recently published a report on “A New Research Assessment Towards a Socially Relevant Science in Latin-America and the Caribbean”, available here: https://www.clacso.org/en/a-new-research-asessment-towards-a-socially-relevant-science-in-latin-america-and-the-caribbean/.
About Observer members to the CoARA Steering Board
CoARA Steering Board Observers contribute to the board with their individual expertise while providing perspectives from their affiliation. Their involvement also serves to develop synergies with related initiatives.
Current Steering Board Observers in CoARA:
| Organisation | Primary contact point | Secondary contact point |
| Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA) | Dr. Zen Faulkes, Program Director | Haley Hazlett, Program Manager |
| European Commission | Michael Arentoft, Head of Unit Open Science and Research Infrastructures Unit, DG-RTD | Jean-Emmanuel Faure, Team Leader for Research Assessment in the Open Science and Research Infrastructures Unit, DG RTD |
| Latin American Forum for Research Assessment (CLACSO) | Laura I. Rovelli, Coordinator of CLACSO | Pablo Vommaro, Academic Secretary of CLACSO |