Each quarter, DORA holds a Community of Practice (CoP) meeting for National and International Initiatives working to address responsible research assessment reform. This CoP is a space for initiatives to learn from each other, make connections with like-minded organizations, and collaborate on projects or topics of common interest. Meeting agendas are shaped by participants. If you lead an initiative, coalition, or organization working to improve research assessment and are interested in joining the group, please find more information here.
During the second meeting of the DORA National & International Initiatives CoP Discussion Group in 2025, we welcomed senior advisor Ragnar Lie and Dr. Liv Langfeldt to present on the Norwegian Career Assessment Matrix (NOR-CAM). As usual, the meeting brought together a diverse group of participants from various organizations involved in shaping the future of academic evaluation, including representatives from the German CoARA National Chapter, Knowledge Equity Network, Make Data Count, HuMetricsHSS, ORCID, and Projeto Métricas. The discussion highlighted significant progress in Norway, ongoing challenges, and collaborative efforts across the international community.
NOR-CAM: A Norwegian framework for holistic academic career assessment
Led by Universities Norway (UHR) with development starting in 2019 and published in 2020/2021, NOR-CAM builds upon foundational work like DORA, the Leiden Manifesto, Dutch Recognition & Rewards, and the Finish experience. The aim, according to Lie, was to create a framework that is coherent for national use while remaining flexible enough for different disciplines and types of organizations.
NOR-CAM systematically assesses academic competence across six key areas: research outputs, research process, pedagogical competence (teaching), impact and innovation, leadership, and other experience. The matrix includes columns for documenting results and competencies associated with these areas, alongside a crucial column for reflection, similar to a narrative CV. The national implementation in Norway is coordinated by Universities Norway and involves a National Chapter of CoARA, which welcomes representatives from member institutions (both leadership and HR), as well as non-signers of ARRA or CoARA, funders, associations of ECRs, and unions. This national chapter facilitates sharing resources and provides a platform for collaboration.
Institutions across Norway are currently implementing or preparing to implement their own versions of the NOR-CAM matrix. Lie explained how these institutional versions are adapted to the specific profiles and needs of each university. The process often involves close collaboration between HR and Research departments and extensive consultation with academic staff. The University of Life Sciences (NMBU) was highlighted as an example, where implementation involved adapting the matrix and establishing principles for its use, resulting in positive feedback, particularly from early career researchers who appreciate the greater breadth and transparency.
A recognized challenge in implementing NOR-CAM is the documentation of diverse competencies beyond traditional publications. Efforts are underway to address this by moving away from proprietary data sources like Web of Science, aiming to “own the data,” widen the scope of documentation, and potentially leverage national CRIS systems and AI assistance.
Evaluating the Reform: The NyEval Project
To understand the effectiveness and impact of these changes, the four-year NyEval project (“New ways of evaluating research and researchers. CoARA in the Norwegian research system”) was launched in February 2025. Coordinated by the Nordic Institute for Studies in Innovation, Research and Education (NIFU), with partners including Universities Norway, the project aims to build a better knowledge base for research assessment reforms.
Liv Langfeldt explained how NyEval focuses on two main areas: the assessment of academic staff for positions and promotion, and the assessment of applications for research projects. The project employs a multi-faceted empirical approach, including document analysis of action plans, guidelines, and application forms; surveys of academic staff and leaders at 11 Norwegian universities in 2025 and 2027; case studies in selected fields; and analysis of application and review data.
The research questions explore the nature and objectives of CoARA-motivated changes, their effects on reviewers and applicants, their potential impact on the Norwegian research system, and the drivers and barriers for reform across different research fields and organizational levels. Langfeldt expects the findings will provide insights relevant beyond Norway.
Addressing Skepticism and Supporting Early Career Researchers
Implementing significant reforms like NOR-CAM is not without challenges. The discussion touched on the “constructive skepticism” often encountered, particularly varying across different academic fields. A primary concern is whether reduced emphasis on traditional metrics might negatively impact research quality or lead to less publication. While there is general agreement that metrics like JIF and H-index shouldn’t be used for individual assessment, skepticism remains regarding the broader implications of the reforms. Success is seen to depend on involving HR and ensuring evaluation committees are composed and educated differently.
A key concern raised was the potential impact on Early Career Researchers (ECRs) and their mobility prospects if national systems diverge from international norms focusing heavily on publications. Proponents of the reform argue that the aim is to broaden the scope of what constitutes academic value, increase retention by valuing diverse talents, and better prepare ECRs for various career paths. While core academic quality remains important, the demographic shift means universities increasingly look beyond publications to assess candidates. Involving ECRs in the reform process has been crucial in addressing their concerns.
Other Initiatives and Resources
The meeting also provided updates on related initiatives:
- DORA announced the release of a new Practical Guide for Reforming Research Assessment, made available for download in this meeting.
- ORCID is working on better capturing and showcasing researchers’ diverse contributions beyond traditional outputs, potentially exploring how ORCID can support the development of narrative CVs. Kelly Kobe mentioned completing a scoping review of narrative CVs from global funders.
- Updates were shared on relevant CoARA working groups, including one on narrative CVs led by FNR and involving RoRI, and another (WG ACA) preparing an academic career assessment toolbox.
- An upcoming Horizon Europe funding call on research assessment was mentioned, with discussions around potentially forming a consortium to respond: a CSA and an RIA under the WIDERA call – info session here.
We look forward to our next meeting in August 2025 when we will welcome Dr. James Morris from Science Europe presenting on their new document: “A Vision & Framework for Research Cultures” (https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15124386). In the meantime, here’s our suggested reading list following this Q2 meeting:
- NOR-CAM: https://www.uhr.no/en/news-from-uhr/nor-cam-a-toolbox-for-recognition-and-rewards-in-academic-careers.5780.aspx
- NyEval: https://www.nifu.no/prosjekter/new-ways-of-evaluating-research-and-researchers-coara-in-the-norwegian-research-system/
- CoARA Working Group: Reforming Academic Career Assessment: https://coara.eu/working-groups/working-groups/wg-reforming-academic-career-assessment/