How research is assessed influences what universities recognise and reward, from research outputs and Open Science practices to collaboration, innovation and contributions to academic life. For YERUN, improving assessment has therefore been closely connected to wider work on research careers, Open Science and the European Research Area.
YERUN joined the conversation on research assessment reform early. Since 2021, the network has contributed through its own policy work and, increasingly, through its involvement in the Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA), and with the nomination of the first President of CoARA, President of Maastricht University Rianne Letschert, now Minister of Education, Culture and Science, from the Netherlands.
Today, as a CoARA signatory and partner in the CoARA Boost project, YERUN’s work ranges from bringing member universities together to supporting CoARA Working Groups and more importantly, to continue pushing for a further implementation of the Reform of Research Assessment in Europe.
A long-standing commitment to responsible research assessment
In 2021, the network contributed to the emerging European debate through its position paper Reforming Research Assessment in Europe, advocating for assessment systems that better recognise the diversity of research activities, outputs and career paths.
YERUN’s engagement with research assessment reform predates the formal creation of CoARA. Steaming from our members’ discussion and commitments to Open Science, a crucial connection was already made between the implementation of Open Science, research assessment, and careers (Rethinking Academic Careers: Cultural change as a key bottleneck to be addressed).
YERUN subsequently joined the Coalition of the Willing in January 2022 and contributed to the development of the Agreement on Reforming Research Assessment, participating in both its Core Group and Implementation Group. On 10 November 2022, YERUN became one of the early signatories of the Agreement, confirming its commitment to the principles that would underpin CoARA.
This involvement reflects a broader understanding of assessment within YERUN. Research assessment does not exist in isolation: the way universities and research systems recognise and reward researchers has consequences for research careers, Open Science, innovation, institutional diversity and the attractiveness of academic careers more broadly.
For this reason, YERUN has consistently supported expert-informed, qualitative, context-sensitive and multidimensional approaches to assessment, rather than relying excessively on narrow quantitative indicators or rankings as proxies for excellence.
From European commitments to institutional change
YERUN’s role is not to prescribe a single model for research assessment across its member universities. Institutions operate in different national systems and have different missions, priorities and approaches to reform. Instead, the network supports members compare experiences, learn from one another and stay connected to developments at European level.
Through its Policy Platform and dedicated work on research assessment, YERUN brings members together to discuss implementation challenges, exchange practices and consider emerging approaches. It also connects developments within CoARA with the wider YERUN community, including universities at different stages of their involvement in the Coalition.
YERUN members have also played an active part in CoARA’s governance and activities, including its Steering Board, Working Groups and Cascade Funding projects.
While Prof. Rianne Letschert served as CoARA’s first Chair, Prof. Eva Méndez of Universidad Carlos III de Madrid served as a member of the CoARA Steering Board.
Their experience also contributed to discussion within the YERUN community. In 2025, as part of the Sparks of YERUN series, Transforming research assessment: Eva Méndez and Rianne Letschert discuss CoARA and the role of young universities, they reflected on CoARA’s progress, the challenges ahead and the role young research universities can play in advancing more responsible assessment.
Read more.
YERUN and CoARA Boost: supporting the Coalition in practice
A particularly important dimension of YERUN’s current engagement is its role as a partner in the CoARA Boost project.
Through CoARA Boost, YERUN has worked together with the Marie Curie Alumni Association (MCAA) to provide operational and strategic support to CoARA Working Groups. These groups bring together organisations from across the research community to explore specific aspects of assessment reform and develop approaches, resources and recommendations that can support implementation.
YERUN’s contribution has included supporting Working Group Chairs, coordinating the onboarding and monitoring of successive waves of Working Groups, facilitating knowledge exchange and helping strengthen collaboration across different areas of the project.
The network has also contributed to coordination among CoARA Boost Work Package leaders and to making the work of the Working Groups more visible and accessible to the wider research community.
A creative example of this was YERUN’s Research Assessment Advent Calendar, launched in December 2025. Co-created with seven CoARA Working Groups, the interactive calendar opened a new digital “door” each day from 1 to 24 December, presenting a common myth about research assessment alongside insights that challenge it. Drawing on the Working Groups’ work and experience, the initiative offered an engaging way to communicate their work and encourage wider reflection on what fairer and more meaningful assessment can look like.
Check out the calendar!
This role closely reflects YERUN’s wider approach to research assessment reform: creating the conditions for organisations to learn from one another, connect their experiences and turn shared principles into practical change.
Looking ahead: YERUN’s Action Plan on CoARA
The Action Plan includes a reflection on the work done until now and sets the direction for YERUN’s work during the 2026–2030 strategy period. It places particular emphasis on stronger exchange among member universities, sharing practical lessons and resources, maintaining YERUN’s contribution to European policy discussions, and keeping members connected to new opportunities and developments within CoARA and the wider research assessment community. Responsible use of qualitative and quantitative indicators remains a principle running across this work.
Building a culture of recognition together
Changing research assessment is ultimately about more than changing evaluation procedures. It requires institutions, researchers, funders and policymakers to reconsider what they value, how they recognise different contributions and how those choices affect academic careers. It requires a change in research culture.
CoARA has created an important European framework for advancing this change. Through its participation in the Coalition, its role in CoARA Boost, its engagement in European policy discussions and its work with member universities, YERUN ensuring that these principles go along with opportunities for practical learning and collaboration.
As implementation progresses across Europe, YERUN will continue to connect institutions, share knowledge and advocate for assessment approaches that recognise the diversity of excellence across Europe’s universities.
Because reforming research assessment is not simply about how research is measured. It is about what the academic community chooses to recognise, value and reward.
