KTH joins CoARA
On 4 May, KTH joined CoARA, the Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment. The coalition, which is run by various European organisations, aims to improve the quality, efficiency and impact of research.
Annika Borgenstam, Vice President for Research and Sofia Ritzén, Dean of Faculty: Why has KTH decided to join Coara?
“KTH has chosen to become a member because the issues the coalition focuses on are fully in line with the kind of development we would like to see at KTH, where a breadth of achievements is valued and where research can be evaluated and assessed from different angles. It is also supported by all the major research financiers in Sweden, and now a host of universities have also backed the coalition, and it’s important that we can play an active role in future development work.”
What does membership entail?
“The first step is to prepare a plan for how we’ll approach the 10 principles defined by CoARA. Membership entails actively working to address the consequences of the principles at KTH, and in our view this relates to employment procedures, for example how scientific and pedagogical skills are assessed, as well as skills such as leadership and in interactions with the wider community, the quality system for research and how we follow up and evaluate research results. It may also affect our response to various types of university rankings.”
What difference will membership make to KTH’s researchers?
“It will probably be evident in our quality system for research and in the employment procedures, although it may be worth emphasising that with regard to the latter in particular, membership will not involve anything that goes against the work that is already under way within the review of employment procedures.”
What does KTH hope to achieve?
“A more relevant and equal way of evaluating and assessing research and researchers, where qualifications in different fields are valued more equally and research is evaluated based on what is being carried out and not by whom.”
KTH will report within one year on how it is working based on CoARA’s principles regarding work practices and processes, amongst other aspects. KTH will also prepare an action plan, and within five years show its results compared to the set goals. Furthermore, KTH will have undergone an evaluation, in the form of a self-evaluation, of the university’s criteria, work practices and processes.
Jill Klackenberg