CoARA Project Updates

In March 2026, the University of Bern signed the Agreement on Reforming Research Assessment. The reform is coordinated by the Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA), which was established in 2022 by the signatories. It supports participating institutions by facilitating the exchange of experience in implementing quality-oriented evaluation practices.

The agreement initiates a binding process comprising the following steps: Within one year of signing, an action plan must be developed. The plan will outline the measures, processes, and instruments that will ensure the agreement’s implementation and explain how its effectiveness will be verified. Within five years of signing, the organization must report on the status of implementation.

Process

Prozessgrafik

Current status

The Academic Careers Office is coordinating the initiative in collaboration with the Research Management Office. Together, they are developing a template for the action plan. First, they are reviewing which processes, instruments, and methods are already in place or planned at the University of Bern that align with the agreement’s guiding principles. They will use synergies wherever possible and avoid creating additional bureaucracy.

Once the initial review is complete, the faculties and the intermediate staff will be closely involved in the process. Their expertise is essential for defining measures that consider the specific disciplinary contexts and challenges faced by early-career researchers, and that can be embedded sustainably within the respective academic cultures.

Next steps

In the summer of 2026, the deans will be invited to a structured discussion with the faculty leadership, the Vice-Rector for International and Academic Careers, and other project participants. Further details regarding the discussion’s format and the delegation’s composition will be announced in due course. This approach builds on an effective, dialogue-based process that has already been used to implement the DORA Declaration.

This page will be updated on an ongoing basis.