D4.6 RUN-EU Plus Research and Career Evaluation System.

Abstract

An essential goal of the Regional University Network - European University (RUN-EU) is that RUN-EU researchers will develop strong competencies in research and transferable skills in addition to the ability to effectively plan their future career and learning paths. The Research and Career Evaluation System that is being developed by the RUN-EU PLUS project should explicitly support these general goals. This report is the first description of the Research and Career Evaluation System developed for the RUN European University. We follow the recommendations described in the EU report Towards a Reform of the Research Assessment (2021) with the aim to develop research skills and researcher career evaluation systems that are based on intrinsic merits and performance. Also following the EU report suggestions, the RUN-EU research and career evaluation system aims to be flexible to “accommodate the diversity of countries, disciplines, research cultures, research maturity levels, the specific missions of institutions, and career paths”. As the RUN European University alliance is a multidisciplinary and international network, it is natural that the partner universities have some different practices regarding research and researcher evaluation, such as in researcher recruitment. One university of the alliance, TUS, currently has a Researcher Career Framework Policy in place. It provides the focus for topics and content included in the researcher career evaluation system. The university also implements a personal development plan template for researchers to use to identify skills training requirements. IPCA is in the process of developing a researcher career evaluation system, as is FHV and HAMK.