The Responsible Research Assessment Self-Assessment Tool for Funders, developed by the RRA Working Group of the Global Research Council in collaboration with DORA, is a diagnostic resource designed to help research funding organizations assess their current research assessment practices and plan a more structured path towards responsible reform, informed by the shared understanding of RRA held across GRC participant organizations internationally.
The tool operationalizes the 11 dimensions of RRA, the framework GRC participant organizations established in 2024 to articulate a shared vision of what responsible assessment looks like for funders, by mapping them against five implementation stages. These stages are structured around three pillars: governance and organizational structure, capacity building and engagement, and evaluation and monitoring. A self-assessment questionnaire then lets funders work through each dimension and identify where their existing policies and processes sit along that implementation journey, while explicitly accommodating the diversity of funder types, sizes and contexts across the global research funding landscape.
The tool is aimed at staff directly responsible for developing, monitoring and evaluating research assessment processes at funding organizations. Rather than offering a one-size-fits-all standard, it is designed to be adaptable to different organizational contexts, priorities and stages of maturity, and results are for internal use only—there is no requirement to publish or share them externally. It is intended to be used alongside the companion Practical Guide to Implementing Responsible Research Assessment at Research Funding Organizations (2026) which supplies concrete case studies and real-world examples to help translate the self-assessment findings into action.
Why funders might use it:
- Evidence-informed decision-making: diagnoses existing practices and shows how closely they align with RRA principles.
- Strategic planning: helps organizations establish a baseline and choose an implementation strategy suited to their mission and capacity.
- Internal engagement: supports shared understanding of reform challenges and opportunities across boards, leadership and administrators.
- Efficient resourcing: helps funders deploy resources without duplicating effort, and build community around shared challenges.
- External communication: can inform how funders explain their assessment policies to applicants and other stakeholders.
- Monitoring and evaluation: provides a structure for setting goals and tracking progress against them.
The tool will remain “evergreen,” with updates continuing through the 2027 GRC Annual Meeting as community feedback is incorporated.
Global Research Council Responsible Research Assessment Working Group (2026). The Global Research Council’s Responsible Research Assessment Self-Assessment Tool for Funders. Global Research Council. https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.31455505