A DORAat10 Local Event Report
In May 2023, DORA celebrated it’s 10th Anniversary with two plenary sessions and a decentralized weeklong program of local events organized by community members from around the world. Event organizers were given the option to write brief reports on their events that summarize key takeaways and recommendations.
By Karin Gilland Lutz
What will research assessment look like in Switzerland in 2028? What changed, what remains the same? What factors and actors shaped the future of research assessment in Switzerland?
Around 50 participants from a range of different higher education institutions discussed these and other questions at the half-day workshop “Reforming research assessment in an Open Science context.” This took place on Monday 15 May 2023 as part of the DORA at 10 worldwide celebrations. Behind the event stood a team from the Swiss National Science Foundation, the University of Geneva and the University of Zurich.
The workshop started with an inspiring talk by Kim Huijpen, program manager for the Dutch national recognition and rewards program “Room for everyone’s talent” at Universities of the Netherlands. Some of the key points in her talk were then discussed in a small-group setting, including:
–How much top-down commitment and how much bottom-up engagement does a process of reforming research assessment need?
–How can we ensure that early-career researchers are not negatively impacted?
–What are the advantages of coordinating the reform of research assessment within Switzerland and possibly beyond? Are there any disadvantages?
–What does a narrative of excellence in science look like that does not lower the bar but nonetheless makes science more inclusive?
–What kind of organizational basis and mandate would be optimal for a national coordination mechanism?
The workshop was the second in a series that looks at research assessment as part of the Open Science movement but also as a fundamental question of academic culture and of the role of science in society. The first workshop centered around a talk by Karen Stroobants on 10 January 2023.
We started the workshop series to initiate an informal, working-level network in Switzerland. This network enables ongoing exchange and shared reflections on complex issues and to pick up on the ongoing international conversations and policy developments on reforming research assessment. Going forward, we hope that other Swiss institutions will feel inspired to organize similar events.
We would like to extend our sincere thanks to all who participated in our events and especially to Karen and Kim, who provided many valuable inputs, as well as to the DORA team for providing us with the opportunity to be part of the global DORA celebrations.
Organizing team:
- Swiss National Science Foundation: Katrin Milzow, Isabel Bolliger, Michaela Strinzel
- University of Geneva: Danielle Bütschi
- University of Zurich: Katherine Hermans, Manuela Höfler, Michaela Falub, Karin Gilland Lutz
How are the organizers engaging with research assessment?
- Swiss National Science Foundation: A standardized CV format
- University of Geneva: A new CV to better understand the different facets of academic careers
- University of Zurich: Project Hi-Frame
