ANECA's Active Role in the 3rd CoARA National Chapters Forum

On March 19 and 20, Madrid hosted the 3rd Forum of National Chapters of the International Coalition for the Advancement of Research Assessment (CoARA), a meeting that brought together representatives from the European Commission and some twenty National Chapters with the aim of advancing the implementation of more open, qualitative, and inclusive research assessment models.

The event was organized by ANECA, together with CRUE, CSIC, and the Carlos III Health Institute, the four institutions that coordinate the CoARA National Chapter in Spain. The forum helped highlight the work carried out to date by the coalition, whose momentum and continuity will continue to be supported by the European Commission.

Progress of the Third Forum

The forum’s program focused on the implementation of research evaluation reform in the various CoARA member countries and on defining the future role of the National Chapters within the coalition. The discussions focused on topics such as which tools are most effective for advancing research evaluation reform and how to adapt these tools to each country’s regulations, scientific culture, and institutional structure. Additionally, the work carried out by the Spanish National Chapter was presented, and there were presentations by the European Commission and the CoARA Steering Board, on which ANECA is represented. This Executive Board, composed of eleven members from different countries and types of organizations, participated in a workshop prior to the Forum where they shared ideas about the challenges to be addressed in the next phase of CoARA and what the strategic priorities will be for the 2027–2030 period. In addition, Steering Board members met on the 19th in a dedicated session with National Chapter leaders to jointly reflect on international coordination and the future of their projects. 

The first day of the meeting focused on how to move from the commitments made by CoARA members to their practical implementation. Participants agreed that the reform effort has entered a more mature phase, centered on developing concrete tools to apply CoARA’s principles within institutions. In particular, they emphasized the need to continue driving the reform forward effectively.

In this regard, the CoARA Collection brings together a common set of tools available to all members, serving as a shared foundation upon which to build, adapted to the specific needs and contexts of each country. They highlighted the crucial role of National Chapters as coordination hubs to facilitate exchange between those who have already made progress in implementing the coalition’s principles and those who have recently joined or will join in the future, fostering collaboration and mutual reinforcement within the existing diversity.

In this context, María Blanco-Palencia, a contributor to ANECA, presented the progress made by the Spanish National Chapter, as well as the main challenges in its development. Among other things, she referred to the development of a shared repository, the result of experiences gathered through the joint mapping of assessment reform initiatives carried out by various Spanish institutions. Such progress highlights the relevance of our National Chapter within the coalition and underscores the importance of the role these spaces play as drivers of reform.

The National Chapters were able to present their experiences and the status of the reforms promoted in each context, such as the evaluation frameworks for research careers developed in Norway or Finland, the narrative curriculum models promoted in Portugal, or the alignment between funding and evaluation in systems such as the Slovenian one.

The second day featured a panel moderated by ANECA that brought together six speakers: five representatives from various national and regional ecosystems—who shared diverse experiences in implementing the reform—and a cross-cutting perspective from the Working Group on Reforming Academic Career Assessment, which helped provide a comprehensive view of the progress being made. The session addressed three main themes: 

• The identification of synergies and opportunities for the interregional adoption of effective tools and practices.
• The challenges and opportunities arising from the implementation of the reform in heterogeneous institutional and national contexts.
• The development and need for cross-cutting tools that facilitate collaboration between National Chapters and Working Groups, while ensuring a balance between openness, flexibility, and adaptability to a variety of frameworks and needs. 

The central theme of the event was the potential to apply all these tools within a context of mutual learning among countries. Indeed, the main objective of this meeting was to inspire and support the National Chapters at their various stages of implementation, while fostering a meaningful exchange of experiences and knowledge.

One of the highlights was the future launch of a platform for sharing resources, experiences, and best practices among National Chapters, proposed by the Coalition Secretariat.

The discussions highlighted that the current challenge is not only to design new assessment tools but also to ensure their effective use through practical guidance and support for institutions. In this process, the National Chapters are establishing themselves as key structures to support transformation on the ground.

ANECA Promotes Reform of Research Evaluation

ANECA is driving this reform process as one of the coordinating institutions of the Spanish National Chapter, in collaboration with universities, research organizations and centers, agencies, and other entities or public administrations.

Since joining the coalition in 2023, ANECA has continued to drive the reform of research evaluation in Spain through its 2024–2027 Action Plan and the gradual incorporation of CoARA principles into its evaluation processes.

Among the main actions undertaken, the revision of evaluation criteria in key programs such as six-year research evaluations and the new state accreditation procedure for access to university faculty positions (ACADEMIA) stands out, incorporating new dimensions that allow for a broader and more qualitative assessment of research activity and better recognition of the diversity of scientific contributions.

In addition, ANECA has launched pilot assessment experiments after being selected under the second call for proposals of the CoARA Boost - Cascade Funding program, with the project “Pilot Experiments for Innovative Academic Assessment under ANECA’s CoARA Action Plan (PEI3AC),” aimed at testing innovative methodologies with the participation of evaluation staff. These exercises include the use of narrative curricula, the integration of qualitative and quantitative evaluations, and the development of measures to mitigate potential unconscious biases in the evaluation processes.

Through this set of actions, ANECA actively contributes to consolidating a more balanced and responsible evaluation model in Spain, one that is aligned with CoARA’s principles and commitments.