National Chapters are critical in fostering collaboration among national CoARA member organisations and supporting them in their implementation of the commitments outlined in the Agreement on Reforming Research Assessment. For the first time, high-level representatives of National Chapters and interested parties in setting up a CoARA National Chapter, are coming together at the CoARA National Chapters Exchange Forum in Porto, Portugal on February 22-23, 2024. The upcoming forum is organised in collaboration with INESC-TEC, FCT, University of Minho, and Science Europe. With the National Chapters Exchange Forum a platform is created to facilitate knowledge sharing among country-specific CoARA communities of practice.
The CoARA National Chapters Exchange Forum is set to cultivate a dynamic exchange of insights and experiences among representatives of existing and prospective CoARA National Chapters along topics such as local contexts and motivations for initiating a chapter, reflections on challenges and good practices, and fostering a multilingual CoARA. Objectives of the National Chapters Exchange Forum are to explore collaboration potentials and possibilities of building synergies; as well as to collectively respond to open questions around the design of National Chapters and inspire CoARA members in countries without a National Chapter to initiate one.
Forming country-level communities of practice to implement CoARA
CoARA member organisations follow a shared direction and a collective commitment to the principles of the reform. However, the success of implementing these principles hinges on a nuanced understanding of the diverse geographical, regional, institutional, and disciplinary contexts in which CoARA member organizations are situated. Despite a shared direction and shared core commitments, the “one size doesn’t fit all” approach carries a special relevance and value in putting their practical commitments to the reform in practice.
National Chapters are specifically geared towards assisting CoARA member organisations in implementing the shared direction of the reform and its core commitments outlined in the Agreement on Reforming Research Assessment within a national or regional context.
Initiated by CoARA members, the establishment of National Chapters is a voluntary endeavour, and any CoARA member from the respective country is invited to participate in the call for their National Chapter. Over a two-year timeframe, National Chapters are entrusted with the responsibility of developing specific outputs that contribute to the comprehensive implementation of the Agreement within their national context(s). Their mandate goes beyond existing efforts in the country, emphasising inclusivity by involving at least half of the national CoARA member organisations.
To ensure a broader spectrum of participation, mechanisms are established to allow organisations, both within and outside CoARA, to contribute to and benefit from the National Chapter. Essential to the success of National Chapters is a commitment to sharing lessons learnt with other chapters and fostering synergies with relevant CoARA Working Groups. This collaborative approach strengthens the impact of CoARA’s mission on responsible research assessment practices.
So far, 12 countries formed National Chapters: and three prospective Chapters are currently being proposed or are under evaluation. You can access the full inventory of them and browse their work plans here.
Ongoing Call for CoARA National Chapters
In 2023 CoARA launched a Call for CoARA members to form National Chapters – this Call is on an ongoing basis and therefore members invited to take part under the conditions outline in the call document and to submit their application via the dedicated online form.
Join us in Porto
If you are a CoARA member organisation with an interest in forming a National Chapter and would like to learn from the experiences of existing chapters, you are invited to participate at the National Chapters Exchange Forum in Porto (22-23, February). However please note, there are limited seats available onsite – an online option will be available to follow the event. Invitations have been sent by email. If you have not received an invitation and you represent a CoARA member organisation, or you require more information, please reach out to the CoARA secretariat: secretariat@coara.eu
Share the news:
 |
 |