EUA launches report on research assessment in the transition to Open Science

The European University Association (EUA) has presented the findings of a notable study on “Research Assessment in the Transition to Open Science”. The report contains the results of the 2019 EUA Open Science and Access Survey and for the first time gathers and shares a comprehensive overview of research assessment approaches by 260 European universities. It also explores why and how institutions are reviewing their evaluation practices and aims to inform and strengthen the discussion.

“Research assessment is a powerful tool for making the transition to Open Science a reality. Making evaluation practices more accurate, transparent and responsible will allow universities to establish best practice and work together for our academic community,” remarked EUA Vice-President Paul Boyle.

The new EUA report identifies five key findings:

• institutions focus on publishing research outcomes and attracting external funding in their incentive and reward structures for research careers;
• universities rely on a limited set of evaluation practices for research careers, which are mostly geared towards assessing research publications;
• other indicators are less widespread and often also less developed;
• universities consider themselves largely autonomous when it comes to developing and implementing research assessment approaches;
• universities are also keenly aware of external influences shaping their approaches to research assessment.

The report also offers broad recommendations on how to move the discussion forward.


Previous EUA surveys focused on Open Access policies at European universities. Between 2014 and 2018 these surveys showed limited progress on making research publications and data openly available, while persistent challenges remained unresolved. One of the main challenges identified was university approaches to research assessment. As a result, EUA decided to revise the 2019 edition of the survey and gather more information about university approaches to research assessment.

The survey was developed in collaboration with the members of the EUA Expert Subgroup on Research Assessment and the EUA Expert Group on Science 2.0/Open Science. 

 
For more information, please contact: Jessica Carter, EUA Press & Comms Manager

This communication was first published 22 October 2019 by the European University Association.