ShareAQU Catalunya publishes the new criteria for the accreditation of contracted university teaching staff
The new criteria, effective as of 1 April, have been designed to be more plural and better tailored to each field of knowledge.
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AQU Catalunya has published the new criteria for the accreditation of contracted university teaching staff, as approved by the Research Assessment Commission (CAR) on 20 January to adapt the accreditation process to the new requirements set out in the Organic Law on the University System (LOSU). The new criteria for accrediting associate professors (research accreditation according to Law 1/2003) and full professors (advanced research accreditation according to Law 1/2003) are more plural and more specifically tailored to each field of knowledge. They also introduce new measures for qualitatively assessing teaching, research and, where applicable, knowledge transfer merits. The new criteria for contracted university teaching staff were submitted to a public consultation among Catalan Higher Education System stakeholders.
With this update, the CAR has set general criteria applicable to all the accreditation commissions, as well as specific criteria tailored to each field of knowledge. With regard to the general criteria, it should be noted that the accreditation process now incorporates a teaching experience dimension, which represents a substantial leap forward, given that AQU Catalunya’s accreditations were previously based solely on research. In line with this change, the criteria also have new scoring scales.
As regards the research and transfer dimension, the CAR has substantially modified its approach to assessing professional activity and knowledge and technology transfer. Thus, in addition to patents, the process now recognises transfer contracts and agreements that formalise the exchange of experiences, skills or research results between institutions, companies or individuals. In terms of professional experience, the new criteria place more emphasis on it being directly related to the applicant’s specialist field. Another assessment dimension, which applies only to candidates seeking full professor accreditation, relates to scientific and managerial leadership. The dimension on university teaching experience has been notably updated, emphasising both the quantity and, more importantly, the quality of teaching.
There is an important update regarding acceptance requirements for post-doctoral academic mobility: a minimum stay of nine months is now required at institutions other than the one where the individual defended their thesis. During this period, the individual must engage in research, teaching activities, and, where applicable, knowledge transfer and exchange activities. The CAR’s accreditation processes will continue to be guided by the principles of transparency, impartiality, academic rigour, non-discrimination and confidentiality. A summary of the changes to the criteria can be found in this article by the CAR’s secretary published in the latest issue of El Butlletí.
New criteria for the accreditation of associate professors and full professors
Timetable
The timetable for the implementation of the new criteria foresees that February will be the last month in which the current research and advanced research accreditation process can be applied for and that in March, AQU Catalunya’s procedures and technological applications will be updated to align with the new criteria so that as of 1 April 2025, the call for applications based on the new criteria will be opened and remain open on a permanent basis.