Collaboration for responsible evaluation of research

Since spring 2024, Luleå University of Technology has been a member of the Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA) to develop and improve research evaluation.

The purpose of the collaboration is to improve how research evaluation is conducted at Luleå University of Technology to strengthen the quality and impact of research.The steering group for implementing the work at the university is the Vice-Chancellor's Research Council. Responsible for the agreement is Pär Weihed, Pro Vice-Chancellor.

— It is a priority that we inventory areas where we need to revise our way of working to fulfil the commitments we have and then in June be able to submit an implementation plan, says Pär Weihed, Pro Vice-Chancellor.

Implementation plan

The work of developing an implementation plan is ongoing during the spring of 2025 and may affect areas such as evaluation of research subjects, the resource allocation model, employee interviews, the employment scheme. Those affected will be informed later in the process.

CoARA's four core commitments

1. Recognise the diversity of contribution to, and careers in, research in accordance with the needs and nature of the research
2. Base research assessment primarily on qualitative evaluation for which peer review is central, supported by responsible use of quantitative indicators
3. Abandon inappropriate uses in research assessment of journal- and publication-based metrics, in particular inappropriate uses of Journal Impact Factor (JIF) and h-index
4. Avoid the use of rankings of research organisations in research assessment.

• More about CoARA External link.