Since the early discussions on the reform of research assessment in Europe, beginning in 2021, YERUN has actively contributed to shaping the debate and advancing a broader vision of responsible academic assessment. As a member of the Coalition of the Willing from January 2022, YERUN contributed to the development of the Agreement on Reforming Research Assessment through its participation in both the Core Group and the Implementation Group. On 10 November 2022, YERUN became one of the early signatories of the Agreement, reaffirming its commitment to the future Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA). 

From the outset, YERUN has understood that research assessment—and, more broadly, academic assessment— plays a critical role in fostering a high-quality, diverse and internationally competitive research and innovation (R&I) ecosystem. For YERUN, research assessment cannot be considered in isolation from the wider academic environment in which research, education, innovation and societal engagement are recognised, rewarded, and supported. The reform of research assessment, and more broadly of academic assessment, is therefore not an isolated policy objective but a key enabler for strengthening research careers, Open Science, research excellence, institutional diversity and the attractiveness of academic careers across Europe. 

Responsible assessment is fundamental to ensuring that researchers are recognised for the full diversity of their contributions and that universities are encouraged to pursue excellence through collaboration, openness, integrity, and societal impact. Throughout its policy work, YERUN has consistently advocated for expert-informed, context-sensitive and multidimensional assessment approaches that recognise the diversity of institutional missions and contributions, moving beyond simplistic or purely quantitative measures of research performance. 

This commitment is closely connected to YERUN’s broader strategic vision of strengthening the conditions for talent, excellent research and innovation across Europe, as initially reflected in the YERUN Strategy 2021–2025 and reaffirmed in the YERUN Strategy 2026-2030. It is equally embedded in YERUN’s long-standing engagement in shaping the European Research Area, including its contributions to the ERA Policy Agendas 2022–2024 and 2025–2027, where research assessment has become a key structural policy area. 

YERUN’s added value lies in facilitating collaboration, promoting mutual learning, supporting evidence-informed policy development, and amplifying the experiences and perspectives of its members. For this reason, during the first years of CoARA, YERUN prioritised facilitating the exchange of knowledge and good practices, promoting peer learning and mutual support, fostering collaboration across its membership, contributing to European policy discussions, and ensuring that the perspectives and experiences of young research universities were reflected in the evolving European policy landscape. These activities have laid the foundations for the present Action Plan. 

Building on this experience, the YERUN Action Plan on CoARA provides a structured framework to support YERUN members in advancing the principles of CoARA through collaboration, mutual learning and policy coordination. Rather than replacing existing institutional initiatives, it complements and strengthens them by facilitating the exchange of practices, promoting institutional learning and reinforcing shared commitments across the network. Fully aligned with YERUN’s broader policy work on research assessment, academic assessment, research careers, Open Science and the European Research Area, the Action Plan aims to support coherent and responsible implementation of assessment reform while recognising the diversity of institutional contexts and missions across YERUN’s membership. As a European university network, YERUN considers as a primary contribution to support and empower its member universities in widely implementing the research assessment reform, rather than developing institution-specific assessment frameworks.