CoARA @ Charité and BIH
News
The asynchronous 'Virtual Brainstorm' to develop the 'Action Plan' for the implementation of the CoARA principles on research assessment reforms at Charité and BIH on February 19 and 20, 2024 has successfully taken place! If you would like to find out more about the objectives and background, you can find here useful links and resources as well as slides from the brainstorm kick-off.
Welcome to CoARA@Charité and BIH
CoARA stands for Coalition for Advancing Research Assessments (CoARA). On July 20th, 2022, the European Commission, the European University Association and Science Europe published the agreement on research assessment reforms (ARAR). The coalition was founded on December 2nd, 2022. The agreement was jointly developed in a preceding stakeholder process involving over 350 organizations including the European Comission Research and Innovation. Also, the BIH participated in this process. In November 2022 (BIH) and March 2023 (Charité), the BIH Board of Directors and the Faculty Board and Executive Board of Charité adopted the agreement on research reform and participation in CoARA. Prior to this, CoARA was presented to both the Institutional Research Commission and the Faculty Council at Charité for discussion. Eventually, in April 2023, the Berlin University Alliance (BUA) signed CoARA.
The agreement sets out a common direction for changes in assessment practice for research and researchers and aims to improve the quality and social and economic value of research. It contains principles of research assessment based on diversification of research output, quality-oriented criteria, the supportive use of science-based quantity criteria and aspects such as open science, inclusion and diversity in sciences, which are to be applied in all member institutions (please find the full text of the agreement here).
As part of CoARA, it is planned that organizations worldwide, including universities, research centers, public and private research funders, national and regional authorities and professional societies, will participate in the future and work together on the further development of the principles, criteria and, above all, their implementation. The CoARA Secretariat, which provides administrative support for the process, is funded by the European Commission and staffed by the European Science Foundation.
Over the next five years, the signatories to the agreement undertake to actively evaluate the existing research assessment procedures and, if necessary, to realign them with the principles formulated in the agreement.
Action Plan
The Action Plan is the first deliverable from Charité and BIH to CoARA. All signatory organizations are required to publish their Action Plans on Zenodo one year after signing.
The Action Plan aim to
- To structure reform efforts and align them with the principles of CoARA
- To identify relevant actors and processes for reform
- To formulate evidence-based and realistic goals
- To map and measure progress in implementation - including positive and negative possible side effects
- To define responsibilities, identify resources
- To ensure sustainability of reforms and maintain the competitiveness of scientists and institutions
Process of creating the action plan implies
- A participatory, co-creative process
- The consultation and discussion in the relevant committees of academic self-administration at Charité and BIH
- Consistent work on a ‘living-document’ that adapts to changing circumstances and is continuously refined over time
Journal Club Diversity and Responsible Research and Innovation (DRIVERS)
The Journal Club (JC) Diversity and Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) - DRIVERS - offers a forum for exchange on topics of diversity, equality and inclusion in science and academia and is a continuation of the previous JC Diversity. In the context of a monthly meeting, relevant literature on RRI and diversity is critically discussed. The JC is intended to pay particular attention to the role of research assessment and its reforms. The aim is to provide participants with a sound knowledge of RRI and diversity by engaging with relevant evidence and concepts.
The Journal Club takes place online on the first Monday of every month at 11 am (CET). Participation is possible on a regular basis, but also occasionally. We recommend, that participants read the paper in advance. You will get more out of the journal club, if you have read each paper.
Further information, dates and the login link can be found here.
The Journal Club is jointly organized by the following team:
The Journal Club Team
International CoARA Working Group SAGA
The Incentives and Responsible Research Assessments WG has successfully applied for the co-creation of CoARA with an international CoARA working group.
The focus of the working group lies on the elaboration of implementation strategies at administrative and governance level to support the harmonization of responsible research assessment systems in biomedical disciplines. Member organizations of the working groups include EU-LIFE, Università degli Studi di Padova and University Vita-Salute San Raffaele (Italy), the National Cancer Institute (Netherlands), the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) and the Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS) (Spain).
How can I get involved?
First of all, thank you for your interest!
The implementation of CoaRA is a participatory process in which everyone is welcome and even encouraged to participate. At Charité and BIH, you can get involved in the following ways:
- Become part of our CoARA@Charite and BIH working group. We meet monthly - 3 times a month. The working group is open to all interested employees of Charité and BIH. Our aim is to discuss possible new, evidence-based forms of incentives and research assessment procedures and to concretize possible reforms. In the working group, those interested in political work and the tasks of academic self-administration at Charité can network.
Become a CoARA ambassador for your institution or department. Transforming a system as large as research assessment structures requires support from many parts of the system. You too can become part of the network of supporters.
CoARA ambassadors at Charité and BIH (As of: January 18th, 2024)
Dr. Jess Rohmann - Institute für Public Health (jessica.rohmann@charite.de)
Dr. René Bernard – NeuroCure (rene.bernard@charite.de)
Dr. Jennifer Kirwan – Core facilities BIH (jennifer.kirwan@charite.de)
Karin Höhne – Stabsstelle Chancengleichheit Charité (karin.hoehne@charite.de)
Dr. Tracey Weissgerber - AG Metaresearch and automated screening (tracey.weissgerber@charite.de)
Dr. Vince Madai - “Responsible Algorithms” (vince.madai@bih-charite.de)
Join our CoARA Working Group SAGA - "Supporting the alignment of research assessment systems with CoARA in biomedical disciplines through administrative reforms and governance".
On the first Monday of the month, the group meets online to discuss progress to date and next steps, in which you can participate. Of course, regular participation is encouraged, but occasional contributions are also appreciated.
For information on how to participate in the various activities, write to coara@charite.de.
Useful links and resources
Below we provide you with links to general information on the initiative and references to useful sources and resources on distribution. If you require further information, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Here you can find the full text of the CoARA agreement and recommendations.
If you would like to present CoARA at your institution, please feel free to use this slide kit as a basis for your presentation.
Here you can find the presentation template provided by CoARA.
- You can also find more information about CoARA at the BUA here.
Past Events and Announcements
February 2024:
Conducting the asynchronous 'Virtual Brainstorm' to develop the 'Action Plan' for the implementation of the CoARA principles on research assessment reforms at Charité and BIH. (Slides)
Charité Newsletter announcement on the launch of the Journal Club for Diversity and Responsible Research and Innovation on February 5. (More)
January 2024: Presentation of CoARA at the meeting of the Reseach Comission of the Charité (Slides)
