ULiège signs the CoARA agreement for the reform of research evaluation

On 7 June 2023, the University of Liège strengthened its commitment to change in research assessment by signing the agreement for the reform of research assessment supported by the Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA).

The signing of the CoARA agreement commits ULiège to revising its research evaluation criteria over the next five years to move away from quantitative metrics towards qualitative criteria that respect the diversity of research and scientific careers.

Based on the principles of quality, impact, diversity, inclusiveness and collaboration, the CoARA agreement requires the signatories to respect four main commitments in the evaluation of research:

1. Recognise the diversity of contributions and careers in research, depending on the needs and nature of the research.
2. To base the assessment of research primarily on qualitative evaluations, for which peer review is essential and on the responsible use of qualitative indicators.
3. Abandon inappropriate use of journal- and publication-based indicators, particularly the impact factor and h-index.
4. Avoid using the rankings of research organisations in the evaluation of research.

These commitments underline the desire of the academic authorities to build on the momentum created by the award of the Human Resources Strategy for Researchers (HRS4R) label in 2011 and the signing of the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA) in 2022. They will gradually be incorporated into our internal evaluation procedures in collaboration with the Research Councils and the relevant administrative departments.

Read the full text of the agreement to reform the research evaluation

Your contact at ULiège

Judith Bienraux