Driving assessment reform through collaboration – the approach of the EUTOPIA European University

Policy initiatives such as the European Research Area and infrastructures such as the European Open Science Cloud include calls for a reform of research assessment, recognition, and reward systems to more strongly reflect Open Science criteria. However, while several frontrunners at national and institutional level are emerging, many universities are reluctant to reform, citing systemic obstacles to changing research assessment.

A potential answer to this collective action problem are the alliances funded by the European University Initiative, which are expected to introduce “academic career systems that support and reward researchers who participate in engaging with society and in a culture of sharing the results of their research, in particular by ensuring early sharing and open access to their publications and other research outputs”.

The EUTOPIA European University – consisting of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (BE); University of Warwick (UK), University of Ljubljana (SI); Cergy Paris Universite (FR); University Pompeu Fabra (ES); University of Gothenburg (SE) – is implementing a process to reform research assessment based on the INORMS SCOPE Framework for Research Evaluation. Through deliberation about the purpose and methods employed for research assessment, the alliance will develop an overarching framework for research assessment and draft individual commitments to update the individual assessment systems.

The lightning talk will present this change process and the intended impact. The talk seeks to stimulate exchange of experience and collective action across research institutions, universities, university networks and alliances, to accelerate the ‘practical turn’ of research assessment reform and align incentive and reward systems towards Open Science practices.