Reforming research assessment: from Principles to Practice
What does reform in research assessment look like in practice? Join us in this Open Science Lunch for three different perspectives on implementing reforms in research assessment.
Research assessment plays a critical role in hiring, promotions, and grant applications. Traditional research assessment has long leaned on publication metrics like citation counts and journal impact factors. But a growing movement—championed by initiatives such as DORA, CoARA, Recognition and Rewards, and NorCAM—is calling for a shift toward more holistic, qualitative frameworks that value diverse contributions including teaching, innovation, and open science. Many research-performing organizations have revised or are now revising their guidelines to align with these initiatives. This Open Science Lunch explores how these reforms are being implemented in Norway and the Netherlands, how researchers perceive them, and whether they can redefine what research excellence means.
Grab your ‘matpakke’ and join us to get fresh perspectives on this issue: from the inside of implementing NorCAM at a Norwegian University College (Sandbekk Norsted, HiØ), from an ongoing research project looking at reforms in research assessment across Norwegian institutions (Langfeldt, NIFU), and the implementation of the Dutch equivalent of NorCAM - the Recognition and Rewards Programme - at the University Medical Center Groningen (Koier, UMCG).
Kristian Sandbekk Norsted is a senior advisor at Østfold University College (HiØ). He served as project leader for the working group HiØ KVM, the institution’s local adaptation of NorCAM. Earlier this year, he coordinated the implementation of HiØ KVM across the institution. He will present the working group’s process and report, share insights from the implementation phase, and offer early reflections on how the toolbox has been received since it was formally put to use in August 2025.
Liv Langfeldt is a Research Professor at the Nordic Institute for Studies in Innovation, Research and Education (NIFU) in Oslo, and project leader for NyEval (RCN 2025-2028), a project that is examining the drivers and barriers to reforming research assessment. Her main expertise is in research policy instruments, peer review processes, and research quality and evaluation. She will present the NyEval project and some preliminary findings.
Elizabeth Koier is research policy advisor at the University Medical Center in Groningen (UMCG), the Netherlands. Currently, she is project lead Recognition & Rewards in the UMCG. She is also the secretary of UMCG’s promotion committee, postdoc officer and coordinator of UMCG’s research quality assurance cycle. Elizabeth will talk about her experiences of implementing Recognition and Rewards at UMCG.