Modernising research assessment, let's go ?

The five institutions of the FWB, having signed the CoARA coalition agreement, are currently working on a reform of research evaluation. To successfully implement these changes and ensure they are established on a long-term basis, a broad-based effort by the scientific community appears to be necessary.

The poster, designed by graphic designer Céline Lefèvre, captures the very essence of this reform through the various flags depicted: recognising a greater diversity of outcomes that enhance the quality and impact of research. But it also conveys a completely different message:

« Each researcher is a unique landscape »

The illustration suggests that there is no single career path that leads to excellence. Every researcher is unique and follows their own path. Over the course of their career, they will not reach every peak – and fortunately so, as they are not expected to excel in every field. Each researcher therefore represents a unique landscape, a landscape that must be recognised for its true worth through the evaluation process.

This poster encourages the scientific community to find out more about the reform of research evaluation, to discuss it, and to adopt practices that highlight the diversity of scientific contributions. This can be achieved either by recognising a variety of criteria when researchers sit on evaluation panels, or by including them in application forms when researchers respond to a call for applications or apply for promotion. It is through a collective effort by the scientific community that lasting changes within our institutions can be achieved.

Please feel free to share this within your research laboratories!