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Rianne Letschert appointed as CoARA Chair

The Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA) has appointed Rianne Letschert as their chair at its Constitutive Assembly. CoARA is a European platform for reforming research and researcher assessment. The coalition's members have the shared goal of putting quality and impact first in scientific research assessment.

On 1 December 2022, CoARA held its online Constitutive Assembly, with the election of the Steering Board members as the main agenda item. On the nomination of Maastricht University, Universities of the Netherlands and YERUN, Rianne Letschert applied to chair the coalition.

CoARA is a coalition of knowledge institutions committed to reforms in the assessment of scientific research. It sets a shared direction for changes in assessment practices for research, researchers and research performing organisations. This requires assessment primarily on qualitative judgement, for which peer review is central, supported by responsible use of quantitative indicators.

CoARA's efforts fit in well with the ideas of the national Recognition & Rewards programme in the field of research. The changes in research assessment initiated some time ago from Recognition & Rewards are now also taking shape outside the Netherlands.

Membership of the coalition is open to all research institutions worldwide. So far, approximately 400 organisations from 33 countries inside and outside Europe have signed an agreement (the Reforming Research Assessment Agreement), committing themselves to the principles and commitments for reform.

The Steering Board will be responsible for the overall oversight, strategy, work plan and sustainability of the CoARA. It will provide the environment to support the participation of the member organisations, and the work of the Working Groups and General Assembly of Members. It will also ensure that the organisational perspective remains focused on the longer term aims of the CoARA.

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