SciLifeLab joins the Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment
SciLifeLab is now a signatory and member of the Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA). CoARA is a global initiative started in 2022 by the EU Commission, Science Europe and the European University Association (EUA). The coalition aims to maximise the quality, effectiveness, and impact of research and promote a consensus on research assessments. By joining CoARA, SciLifeLab is committing to contribute to the improvement of research assessment practices on both national and international scale.
Currently, over 600 organizations worldwide, including private and public funders, universities, institutes, infrastructures, and associations, have signed the agreement. Among the Swedish signatories are major funding bodies such as Swedish Research Council, and Forte, as well as universities like Karolinska Institutet. By joining CoARA as both a signatory and member, SciLifeLab wishes not only to endorse but help shape the coalition’s initiatives of research assessment practices
“Joining CoARA was a must for us! It allows us to join an ever growing network of collaborators, particularly within Sweden, working on the important topic of advancing research assessment to maximise the quality and impact of research,” says Chris Erdmann, Head of Open Science at SciLifeLab.
As part of the involvement in CoARA, SciLifeLab is establishing a working group comprising representatives from across the SciLifeLab organization, to develop an action plan aligned with the coalition´s objectives. This plan will address issues such as how to improve data and software sharing in our community and Open Science practices for recruitment and recognition. The working group will be headed by Chris Erdmann, together with Katarina Öjefors Stark, SciLifeLab Data Centre. In addition, Chris Erdmann will join the CoARA Open Infrastructures working group.
“Being actively engaged in Open Science initiatives like CoARA, and ADORE, is essential for us achieving the aims of SciLifeLab. Participation of the entire SciLifeLab community; research, infrastructures, and particularly our fellows, in conversations about Open Science, FAIR principles, and the future of research assessment, is crucial for our success and we look forward to this important work,” Chris Erdmann concludes.
