Each quarter, DORA holds two Community of Practice meetings for research funding organizations. One meeting takes place for organizations in the Asia-Pacific (A-P) region and the other is for organizations in Africa, the Americas, and Europe (AAE). These groups provide a space for funders to learn from each other, share new policies and practices, and collaborate on advancing fair and responsible research assessment (RRA).
On November 13, 2025, DORA’s Funder Discussion Groups – the Asia-Pacific (AP) and Africa, Americas, and Europe (AAE) regions – convened for their final quarterly meeting of the year. As with Q3, the primary focus was a collaborative deep dive into the development of DORA’s upcoming “Practical Guide for Responsible Research Assessment for Research Funding Organizations.” Below you can catch up on the key takeaways and developments from our community co-creation sessions.
About the new Guide
Following the successful launch of the guide for Research Performing Organizations earlier this year, this new Funder-focused resource aims to be a “one-stop-shop” for funders, offering practical tips, case studies, and outlined activities to help organizations embed responsible research assessment (RRA) into their workflows. The Practical Guide is being prepared by DORA in collaboration with the Global Research Council RRA Working Group and Science Europe. It is designed to accelerate reform by offering funders a practical, action-oriented resource.
Mapping the Landscape: Interconnected Topics in RRA
The November sessions focused on Chapter 4 of the upcoming guide. This chapter aims to highlight how RRA intersects with other major drivers of change in the research ecosystem. We presented eight proposed themes for this chapter, expanding significantly from the previous Guide, such as open science, research ethics and integrity, and societal impact. The discussion focus on how certain topics are interconnected with RRA and how it would be helpful to show how they are linked, especially for those who may be new to making these connections.
Community Feedback: What We Heard
The feedback from participants was robust and insightful, emphasizing that these topics are indeed intrinsically linked.
- The “Why” Matters: Participants emphasized that the guide must clearly articulate why these connections exist. For example, it is crucial to explain why a funding organization’s open science team needs to be in dialogue with the research assessment team.
- Refining the Themes:
- Societal Impact: Discussions highlighted that impact shouldn’t be treated as a single ‘box’ to check. As many noted, impact is often an overarching objective that all other RRA activities serve to advance.
- Indigenous Rights and Ethics: There was a strong call to ensure that Indigenous rights and knowledge are not simply categorized under EDI or viewed as “nice to have.” They are fundamental obligations and distinct components of research integrity and excellence.
- Narrative CVs as Connectors: Some highlighted how tools like Narrative CVs serve as a bridge, making visible contributions to open research, community development, and leadership that align with multiple RRA themes.
- Missing Pieces: While no new topic was introduced, the groups reflected on the order of the topics and suggested several additions to the initial list of initiatives to ensure the Guide captures high-level global governance in science.
The AI Question: Principles First
A major topic of discussion across both groups was the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in research assessment. While recognized as a rapidly moving piece of the puzzle, the consensus was that it is too early to provide definitive “how-to” guidance.
Instead, the group suggested that the guide should address AI at the principles level, applying the core values of responsible assessment to the use of AI tools. To explore this further, DORA proposed dedicating the Q1 2026 Funder Discussion Group meetings specifically to the topic of AI in assessment, inviting members to share how they are currently auditing and managing AI use within their funding cycles.
Member Updates and Next Steps
The meetings also provided an opportunity for members to share updates:
- The Global Research Council (GRC) RRA Working Group is finalizing a self-assessment tool and maturity model for funders, which will be available for feedback in December.
- National funders, including the NHMRC and ARC in Australia, are advancing their own action plans related to CoARA and open science.
What’s Next?
The DORA team incorporated the feedback from these sessions into the draft guide, and this informed the final stage of co-creation, which took place in person at the Danish Presidency EU High-Level Conference in Copenhagen (CeRRA) on December 2, 2025, alongside a celebration of CoARA’s third anniversary, which all were invited to during the sessions.
We anticipate launching the Practical Guide for Research Funding Organizations in May 2026.
If you are employed by a public or private research funder and are interested in joining the Funder Discussion Group, please find more information on our webpage or email us at info@sfdora.org.