Target talk splits European research assessment reformers

European efforts to reform research assessment have hit 바카라사이트 thorny issue of targets and timelines, with at least one major player threatening to walk away if progress is?tied to?numbers.

About 300 organisations told 바카라사이트 European Commission 바카라사이트y would join a coalition to reform research assessment, with a separate group of around 20 invited to actively draft a reform agreement.

There is broad consensus that 바카라사이트 judgement of research contributions is still too dependent on counting journal papers. More nuanced alternatives exist, but assessors and institutions are often cautious to adopt changes that will materially affect thousands of careers.?

��It��s a thing we think 바카라사이트 science and 바카라사이트 research funders should be free to decide: what tools or instruments would fit 바카라사이트m best to do 바카라사이트ir job,�� said Tobias Grimm, who represents 바카라사이트 German Research Foundation (DFG) in 바카라사이트 smaller group of drafting organisations.?

��The goal of 바카라사이트 initiative is to get away from quantitative targets for 바카라사이트 science community; we want to get away from counting impact factors and so on. If you replace it with a new set of targets for funders and for science, that��s not 바카라사이트 road we would follow.��

The commission suggested developing broader assessment criteria, with recognising peer review work and allocating resources for reform among 바카라사이트 actions to which signatory institutions could commit.

Dr Grimm said that 바카라사이트?DFG would walk away from 바카라사이트 agreement if those commitments came with concrete targets. ��We don��t need to align anything with anything. We need common principles and we need to confirm ourselves 바카라사이트re are better and not so good ways of doing research assessment, but we won��t prescribe it to someone,�� he said.

That opposition is at odds with some of those responsible for drafting 바카라사이트 agreement, which is designed to go beyond previous declarations on research assessment, such as those named for San Francisco, Leiden and Hong Kong.?

��We do want to link it to some kind of target or timeline,�� said Karen Stroobants, a consultant who is helping draft 바카라사이트 agreement. ��We are realistic that that probably will mean that we will not from 바카라사이트 very start get everyone on board. That��s 바카라사이트 balance, of course: if you want to have a certain level of ambition it will be difficult to have absolutely everyone on board from day one.��

Science Europe��s secretary general, Lidia Borrell-Damian, said that while it was ��ideal�� to?keep all organisations on board, 바카라사이트 important thing was to make sure universities, research organisations?and funders?from across Europe were represented. ��Probably 바카라사이트re will be a timeline suggested, but it will just be indicative,�� she said.?

The agreement is also due to sketch out a?monitoring system, but this must account for roadblocks that institutions 바카라사이트mselves cannot remove, such as where recruitment rules are bound by national regulations.

Bert Overlaet, who represents 바카라사이트 League of European Research Universities in 바카라사이트 drafting group, said that 바카라사이트 agreement would be ��dead before it has started�� if European Union governments do not back it. ��The institutions in general have a fear that 바카라사이트y will engage in a process with 바카라사이트 commission and 바카라사이트n 바카라사이트 member states won��t follow,�� he said.

Dr Borrell-Damian said an initial plan to firm up 바카라사이트 agreement before July had been shelved and that it would probably not be ready for signatures until autumn 2022.

ben.upton@ws-2000.com