by ZonMw and NWO have jointly published their action plan for reforming research assessment, in line with the principles of the Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA). The plan not only highlights the progress made so far but also sets a roadmap of concrete actions through to 2027. These include reviewing and refining the evidence-based CV and exploring open science practices in grant evaluations.
Both ZonMw (the Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development) and NWO (the Dutch Research Council) have for several years been actively involved in reforming research assessment, the process of evaluating the quality, impact, and relevance of research. They have signed the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA) in 2019 and are both members of the national Recognition and Rewards programme. As part of their efforts, they have already taken important steps, such as banning the use of journal impact factors and introducing the evidence-based CV.
To further strengthen their commitment, ZonMw and NWO signed the Agreement on Reforming Research Assessment (ARRA) in 2022 and joined CoARA. The development of this action plan is a key milestone in the process.
A broad and integrated approach
‘This action plan is a logical and necessary next step in further implementing our commitment to a new, emerging way of conducting science. Science, in which proper merit is given to creativity, commitment, teamwork, and impact. We are convinced that aligning our strategy with the CoARA principles will be for the betterment of science in the Netherlands’, says Arfan Ikram, chairman of ZonMw, a member of the NWO Executive Board and responsible for the open science portfolio.
The plan was developed jointly by ZonMw and NWO and, as a result, it reflects on practices and activities within all four research domains (Science, Social Sciences and Humanities, Applied and Engineering Sciences and Medical Sciences), the four taskforces (Dutch Climate Research Initiative – KIN, Netherlands Initiative for Education Research – NRO, Open Science NL and the Taskforce for Applied Research – SIA) and the ten NWO research institutes (NWO-I). The actions also reflect NWO’s dual role as both a funder and a performer of research. In addition to funding research, NWO conducts research itself through ten institutes that are part of the NWO organisation.
Structure and content
The action plan is structured around the ten CoARA commitments. For each commitment, it outlines the current status and sets out concrete actions to be taken. Examples include evaluating the evidence-based CV and internal review procedures, exploring how open science practices could be assessed within proposal evaluation, increasing awareness of assessment reform and, for the NWO research institutes, providing a leadership programme with tools for a new way of research assessment.
’I’m especially pleased to see open science practices so well integrated into the plan,’ says Hans de Jonge, director of Open Science NL at NWO and member of the CoARA Steering Board. ‘For too long, researchers were evaluated mainly on publications in high-impact journals, which often conflicts with openness and collaboration. Aligning what benefits science and society with what advances individual careers is crucial. Open science and recognition and rewards must go hand in hand.’
Clarity about the strategic directions
ZonMw and NWO hope that these plans provide clarity about the future strategic direction to the research community, but also to colleagues internally. Furthermore, by publishing the plan ZonMw and NWO also hope to foster international exchange and learning with other organisations, including the more than 800 ARRA signatories.
You can find the action plan here.
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