As the global conversation around responsible research assessment continues to evolve, so does DORA: 2026 is the last year of our current strategic plan!
So, we begin developing DORA’s next Strategic Plan for 2027-2030, which will set the direction for our work over the coming years. Central to this process is listening carefully to the communities we serve and learning from where DORA has made the greatest impact, as well as where there is more to do.
To support this, we’re inviting the global scholarly community to take part in a short community survey, now open through 30 April 2026. The survey helps DORA remain grounded in the diversity and complexity of the contexts in which assessment decisions are made. Thank you for ensuring that DORA’s future strategy builds on your experiences, needs and efforts!
Why a Community Survey?
Research assessment reform is not a single policy challenge with a single solution. It is a system‑level undertaking, shaped by interactions between multiple actors: researchers, funders, institutions, disciplines, encompassing daily evaluation practices, incentives, infrastructures, and research cultures.
Over the past decade, DORA has worked with a wide range of actors across the global system to promote more responsible, fair, and meaningful approaches to assessing research and researchers. During this time, the landscape has evolved significantly: new initiatives have emerged, resources have expanded, and reform efforts have accelerated in some contexts while facing resistance or capacity constraints in others.
As DORA develops its 2027-2030 Strategic Plan, this community survey will help us understand:
- How the community has engaged with DORA and its resources
- Which tools and approaches have been most useful
- Where DORA has made a meaningful difference
- What needs, gaps, and priorities should shape our work from 2027 onwards
The insights we gather will directly inform discussions within DORA’s Executive Board and Steering Committee throughout 2026.
Who Should Take Part?
We welcome responses from anyone with an interest in research assessment reform, including:
- Researchers, from all career stage and all disciplines
- Staff and leadership in Research Funding Organizations
- Staff and leadership in Publishers, Scholarly and Learned societies, and Infrastructure providers
- Librarians, Research managers, and all research professionals in Research Performing Organizations
- Non‑profit and community organizations
Please feel free to circulate the link to survey across your communities: https://bit.ly/DORA-Survey-2026
About the Survey
The survey is available in multiple languages to support broad participation. You may respond as an individual or on behalf of your organization.
It should take you up to 10 minutes to complete the survey.
You have from April 01 to April 30 to share your responses.
What Happens Next?
The survey is one part of a broader strategic planning process taking place throughout 2026, which includes:
- A high‑level review of DORA’s 2023-2026 activities
- Input from partners and communities of practice
- Workshops and a task force within the DORA Steering Committee
DORA’s 2027-2030 Strategic Plan will be published in early 2027.
Your Voice Matters
DORA exists to advance practical and robust approaches to research and researcher assessment globally and across all scholarly disciplines. We hope you’ll take a few moments to share your perspectives and help shape DORA’s future.
If you have questions about the survey or the strategic planning process, please contact us at info@sfdora.org.