Article

An overview of 22 years of university teaching staff accreditation

Esteve Arboix Codina and Núria Márquez Aranda · Head and coordinator of the Assessment of Teaching Staff and Research Department, respectively

The research and advanced research accreditations conclude their cycle under the LUC and enter a new phase defined by the LOSU, which introduces two new evaluation dimensions.

This article looks back on twenty-two years of issuing research and advanced research accreditations based on assessment criteria that focused primarily on the research dimension. Twenty-two years of calls for teacher accreditation applications that came to a definitive end on 28 February with the implementation of Organic Law 2/2023, of 22 March, on the University System (the LOSU). However, before we go into more detail, let's take a moment to put this period into context.

The accreditation of teaching activity as a prerequisite for access to specific categories of teaching positions became mandatory in 2001 with the approval of Organic Law 6/2001, of 21 December, on Universities (the LOU). Subsequently, Law 1/2003 of 19 February on Universities in Catalonia (the LUC), which transposed the LOU to the Catalan Higher Education System (SUC), introduced one of the most significant changes to the university regulatory framework: the equivalence between contracted staff and civil servant teaching and research staff (PDI), with the creation of two specific categories for contracted doctoral professors: associate professors and full professors. The creation of this model was a response to the legislative will to reduce the internal strains that had characterised the Spanish university system for decades. The accreditation mechanisms sought to ensure that an external agent, with no stake in the hiring process, could verify that the applicant met a minimum threshold of research quality and experience through a separate assessment process. In other words, based on the information provided by the candidates in their documentation.

More than 800 assessors demonstrated a staunch commitment to assessment and continuous improvement, putting their experience and time at the service of the Catalan Higher Education System

Against this background, AQU Catalunya launched its programme for issuing research and advanced research accreditations on 12 December 2003, with the Research Assessment Commission (CAR) made responsible for issuing these accreditations through its specific committees. During this period, more than 800 assessors demonstrated a staunch commitment to assessment and continuous improvement, putting their experience and time at the service of the Catalan Higher Education System. Furthermore, they did so using assessment criteria that prioritised quality over quantity and basing their decisions on verified evidence and objective, recognised methods within the various fields of knowledge.

With this broader context in mind, we can now examine the data that allows us to reflect on the accreditations. During the LUC period, a total of 15,695 applications were received. Of these, 11,333 were for research accreditation and 4,362 were for advanced research accreditation. Of the total applications received, 14,596 were evaluated—10,450 for research and 4,146 for advanced research—and 1,099 were closed without evaluation because they did not meet the requirements set out in the call for applications. The results show that 61.1% of research applications and 62.3% of advanced research applications received a favourable evaluation, with all the fields of knowledge above 50%, indicating that the majority of applications met the established assessment criteria.

Accreditation of research: results 2003-2025

Commission	T	TSA	TF	TD	% F
Humanities	1,625	141	861	622	58.0 %
Social Sciences	2,818	259	1,567	993	61.2 %
Sciences	1,382	100	959	326	74.6 %
Life Sciences	1,136	69	595	472	55.8 %
Health and Medical Sciences	2,466	161	1,191	1,114	51.7 %
Engineering and Architecture	1,906	153	1,217	536	69.4 %
Total	11,333	883	6,387	4,063	61.1 %

Accreditation of advanced research: results 2003-2025

Commission	T	TSA	TF	TD	% F
Humanities	447	21	279	147	65.5 %
Social Sciences	1,123	63	569	491	53.7 %
Sciences	630	24	466	140	76.9 %
Life Sciences	358	15	214	129	62.4 %
Health and Medical Sciences	888	42	526	320	62.2 %
Engineering and Architecture	916	51	528	337	61.0 %
Total	4,362	216	2,582	1,564	62.3 %

^{T: sol·licituds rebudes. TSA: sol·licituds tancades sense avaluació. TF: total favorables. TD: total desfavorables.}

Analysing the favourable resolutions by gender, no significant bias is observed. In the case of advanced research applications, the percentages are almost identical: 62.4% for men and 62.1% for women.

In the case of research applications, there is a slight difference between men and women, with 62.6% of applications approved for men and 59.0% for women. These figures show that the favourable outcomes were distributed relatively evenly between men and women.

Research accreditations

Gender	T	TSA	TF	TD	% F
Men	6,572	540	3,778	2,255	62.6 %
Women	4,761	343	2,609	1,808	59.0 %
Total	11,333	883	6,387	4,063	61.1 %

Advanced research accreditation

Gender	T	TSA	TF	TD	% F
Men	2,937	143	1.743	1,051	62.4 %
Women	1,425	73	839	513	62.1 %
Total	4,362	216	2,582	1,564	62.3 %

^{T: applications received. TSA: applications closed without evaluation. TF: total favourable. TD: total unfavourable.}

Since the implementation of the contractual hiring route established by the LUC in 2003, our university system, as of 1 January 2024, has incorporated a total of 2,368 associate professors and 438 full professors, an intake that has greatly enhanced academic quality and bolstered research at Catalan universities.

It is with this positive assessment of the impact of the research and advanced research accreditations that we now conclude their cycle under the LUC and enter a new phase defined by the LOSU, which introduces two new evaluation dimensions: university teaching, for both associate and full professors; and scientific and management leadership for the accreditation of full professors only.

It should be noted, however, that under the new regulations, both accreditations granted under the LUC and new accreditations issued under the LOSU will continue to guarantee applicants access to competitive selection processes for associate and full professor positions.

Therefore, after more than twenty years of issuing accreditations, we draw this stage to a close with a sense of pride in our accomplishments and the lessons learned, and with a firm commitment to continue reforming research and teaching assessment, as demonstrated by AQU Catalunya's adherence to the international CoARA coalition in 2022 and the CoARA Action Plan for 2025-2029.