The III CoARA National Chapters Forum brings together representatives from some 20 countries and more than 90 stakeholders involved in research evaluation reform in Madrid

• The event, held on March 19 and 20, brings together institutional representatives and international experts.

• CoARA is an international coalition of scientific organizations working together to enable systemic reform of research evaluation.

The 3rd Hybrid Forum of National Chapters of the International Coalition for the Advancement of Research Evaluation (CoARA) was held in Madrid on March 19 and 20. The meeting brought together institutional representatives and international experts to discuss tools and strategies for advancing research evaluation reform.

The forum, jointly organized by the Conference of Rectors of Spanish Universities (CRUE), the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), the Carlos III Health Institute (ISCIII), and the National Agency for Quality Assessment and Accreditation (ANECA), is being held under the theme "Tools for Success: National Chapters Driving Diverse Implementation Through a Shared Vision," focusing on the exchange of experiences and tools that facilitate the application of new models of scientific evaluation at the national and regional levels.

Spain as a benchmark

CoARA National Chapters are structures created at the national level to collaborate and advance, based on each country's experiences, the implementation of the coalition's commitments and its efforts to renew research evaluation internationally.

The Spanish National Chapter, inaugurated in February 2024, is promoted by CRUE, CSIC, ISCIII, and ANECA. Currently, more than 90 Spanish institutions participate in this initiative. These include quality assurance agencies, research centers, universities, and scientific organizations, with the goal of developing new evaluation processes that recognize the diversity of research outcomes, practices, and trajectories.

In addition to coordinating the CoARA National Chapter in Spain, the four institutions have developed specific initiatives to promote these processes in the country.

On the one hand, the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), which joined the CoARA agreement in November 2022, created theCoARA-CSIC Commission. Its objective is to develop an institutional analysis that will allow for the design of a flexible and multidimensional evaluation model, adapted to the diversity of scientific activity. This work is part of the CSIC's CoARA Action Plan 2023-2027.

For its part, the National Agency for Quality Assessment and Accreditation (ANECA) has reformed its procedures for evaluating faculty and teaching programs to include new qualitative criteria, in accordance with CoARA principles. At the beginning of the month, ANECA presented a proposal for pilot experiments for the qualitative evaluation of faculty, which was selected by CoARA for funding through Horizon Europe.

Furthermore, the Conference of Rectors of Spanish Universities (CRUE) has actively contributed to these processes through its role as the technical secretariat of the CoARA National Chapter in Spain, supporting coordination among institutions and monitoring the initiatives promoted within this framework. Among other actions, it has facilitated dialogue with CoARA and other European forums to give visibility and coherence to the participation of the Spanish university system in the reform of research evaluation.

Finally, the ISCIII, as the national funding agency that manages the Strategic Action in Health and as the accreditor of R&D&I structures in health, has been integrating principles of open science and reform of the evaluation of scientific activity. To this end, it has modified the evaluation criteria of its calls for proposals, incorporating metrics focused on social impact and developing training tools to support their proper implementation.

Consolidation of the reform in research evaluation

During the two working sessions of this Third Forum, participants analyzed the progress of the implementation of the CoARA reform in their respective countries, paying particular attention to the instruments, regulatory frameworks, and tools that are enabling its development. Among other activities, strategic sessions, exchange opportunities between chapters, and thematic presentations were held, maintaining an open dialogue throughout about the future role of these structures within the coalition.

Participants agreed on the importance of promoting more qualitative, accountable, and inclusive evaluation models, aligned with the principles of open science and a broader understanding of scientific and social impact. Finally, they emphasized the need to contextualize reform tools and frameworks according to different national systems, while keeping in mind a shared vision at the European level.