Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment - CoARA

Launched by the European Commission, CoARA was established in 2022 following an extensive stakeholder consultation process that led to the publication of the Agreement on Reforming Research Assessment. This agreement outlines key principles and core commitments for building a more responsible research assessment system. The Coalition currently includes 735 organisations across more than 40 countries, among which universities, research centres, national authorities, academic associations, and other public and private stakeholders.

The University of Florence signed the CoARA agreement on 10 November 2022, committing to contribute to the progressive transformation of research assessment practices as advocated by the European Coalition. The Unifi Action Plan 2024–2028, approved by the Academic Senate, defines the University’s strategic approach to aligning with the ten core commitments outlined in the CoARA agreement.

The plan adopts a gradual and participatory approach, involving the University’s governance, administrative structures, and research community through regular consultations, internal training activities, and engagement at both national and international levels. 

Key focus areas include:

• Adoption of qualitative evaluation criteria
• Promotion of research integrity
• Mitigation of cognitive and gender biases
• Inclusion and valorisation of interdisciplinary research
• Support for early-career researchers

Working Groups (WGs) are a key mechanism through which CoARA advances the reform of research assessment systems. Based on a bottom-up approach and voluntary participation, the WGs act as communities of practice focused on specific topics, fostering mutual learning and collaboration among member organisations. 

Currently, 13 WGs are active, each working on practical solutions and resources to support the implementation of CoARA principles.

Topics addressed by the WGs include:

• Open infrastructures for responsible research assessment
• Multilingualism and language bias in assessment
• Experimentation in assessment methods
• Reforming academic career assessment
• Responsible metrics and indicators
• Assessment of research proposals
• Alignment of research assessment in biomedicine
• Ethics and integrity in the assessment of data-driven and AI-based research

The University of Florence actively participates in the following groups: