ShareAQU Catalunya publishes the monitoring report for the first year of implementation of the CoARA Action Plan
In the first year of implementation of the CoARA Action Plan, 86% of the objectives have been achieved thanks to the key boost provided by the new accreditation criteria and staff training.
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AQU Catalunya has today published the report reviewing the level of implementation of the Agency’s CoARA (Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment) Action Plan. According to the document, AQU Catalunya has achieved 86% of the objectives set for the first year of implementation, covering the period from July of last year to the present. With a total duration extending until mid-2029, the overall completion rate of the project already stands at 40%. The plan, structured around 9 strategic lines and 23 actions, shows significant progress: four lines (1, 2, 6 and 8) and 15 actions have already been fully implemented. By contrast, line 9 shows more limited progress, with a 50% implementation rate at the closing date of the report. In the case of line 3, relating to the assessment of research carried out by departments and other centres and institutes of Catalan universities, no actions have yet been launched because the Agency is awaiting authorisation from the Department of Research and Universities (DREU).
Among the most significant milestones of this first year are the approval of the new academic staff accreditation criteria and the implementation of a new narrative CV format, which prioritises quality over quantitative indicators. In addition, a public consultation was carried out, collecting 326 proposals, as well as several training sessions for reviewers and AQU Catalunya staff members, with 70 and 45 participants trained respectively, and 15 dissemination events attended by 470 participants. However, the interconnection with government databases to reduce the documentary burden on applicants is still pending.
Active participation in the Catalan community of practice and in the Spanish National Chapter of CoARA reinforces the commitment to transforming research assessment. The actions aimed at fulfilling the commitments to CoARA, an international coalition that promotes the reform of the scientific research assessment system and which AQU Catalunya joined in 2022, involve the entire Agency and also envisage the possible deployment of new activities that AQU Catalunya has been assigned by law. The Action Plan can be consulted here, and the monitoring report here.