Commission trails details of research assessment reforms

Cross-sector agreement intended to pivot away from traditional metrics, but questions remain on implementation

Commitments at the core of a much-anticipated agreement on reforming research assessment have been shared by an official from the European Commission.

The agreement, which is intended to be signed by research funding and performing organisations, as well as assessment authorities and other groups in the sector, is a major part of the EU’s effort to make assessment fairer and more reflective of the breadth of research roles and outputs. Similar efforts have been underway for years, but the movement is now gathering momentum in the EU.