On 3-4 September, the Faculty of Economics and Sociology, University of Lodz hosted the project’s kick-off meeting, marking the beginning of its thirty-month implementation period, running from September 2026 to February 2029. Representatives of all partner institutions, as well as the European Commission, took part in the meeting.
The consortium brings together 11 partners from eight countries: Poland, Cyprus, Slovenia, Sweden, Finland, Greece, Italy and the United Kingdom. The project aims to support the systemic reform of research assessment in Europe in line with the principles of the CoARA coalition, the ARRA agreement and the DORA declaration. Among other outcomes, the project will develop a maturity model for national research assessment systems.
The project addresses current challenges related to the evaluation of research institutions and staff assessment processes. Ongoing debates across Europe and in Poland focus on moving away from the excessive reliance on bibliometric indicators, including the Hirsch index, impact metrics and publication points, in favour of a broader, more diverse and more qualitative approach to assessing scientific achievements.
Research assessment reform is no longer a postulate but a process that is genuinely unfolding before our eyes, from the European level, through national evaluation systems, to the assessment of the individual achievements of university employees. I am delighted that it is the University of Lodz that is coordinating an initiative designed to help organise and promote these changes across Europe
– said Prof. Ewa Kusideł, project coordinator, Head of the Department of Spatial Econometrics and Vice-Dean for Research Evaluation at the Faculty of Economics and Sociology, University of Lodz.
Source: Prof. Ewa Kusideł
Edit: Press Office, University of Lodz
