NWO has signed the European ‘Agreement on Reforming Research Assessment’. This agreement between the European Commission and Science Europe (the European research organisations) contains agreements on how research results should be assessed with the aim of improving the quality and impact of research. It contains principles, commitments and timetables for reform. Signatory organisations will also be joining a coalition that will work together to implement the changes and share experiences.
NWO has already implemented much of what the agreement calls for as policy or is in the process of doing so. These changes are part of the policies to have emerged from Recognition & Rewards or DORA. For example, the agreement also calls for a broader form of recognising and rewarding the variety of tasks academics perform. It also wants research assessment to be based primarily on qualitative evaluations, possibly supported by quantitative indicators.
However, the agreement also has a definite time frame for implementing the changes, which NWO has thus committed itself to as a signatory. Moreover, it also requires an open evaluation of these changes. By the end of 2023, signatories should have made concrete plans, and evaluations will be completed by 2027.
The agreement was developed by the European Commission. The latter, together with Science Europe and a core group of 20 research organisations, including NWO, launched a co-creation process in January that led to this agreement. The final version was published on 20 July 2022. NWO fully supports the content of the final version and officially signed it on 28 September.
Delighted
NWO is delighted that the changes in research assessment initiated some time ago in the Recognition & Rewards programme are now being picked up and implemented outside the Netherlands. Even though the agreement was established by European organisations, organisations from all over the world are expected to join. So far, more than 350 organisations from 40 countries have expressed interest.
NWO has been a member of the national Recognition and Rewards programme since its inception. The programme aims to assess the full scope of scientific results and qualifications. There is room for all aspects related to the activities of scientists. The full scope of academic activities refers to the following: the quality of work, impact and relevance, competences in collaboration and outreach, and participation in key developments such as open science. This does justice to what is expected of the modern scientist in today’s society. The video explains NWO’s policy.
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