Reforming Research Assessment
About the conference
Reforming Research Assessment
About the conference
The conference will gather and unite the global and European community for two days of discussions and inspiration and ensure that Europe and Denmark will keep at the forefront of global development, taking stock of the internationalized nature of scientific collaboration, talent mobility, and job market.
The conference is organized by Aalborg University and the programme committee in collaboration with the Danish Ministry of Higher Education and Science, as part of Denmark’s EU Presidency in 2025.
The aim of the conference is to contribute to the current dialogue on reforming research assessment and the political agenda of the European Union by emphasizing the need for reform and support for science and innovation by offering an international platform for stakeholders, experts, and policymakers to discuss progress and next steps.
Furthermore, the ambition of the conference is to support state-of-the-art discussions on research quality and impact and offer a timely platform for Member States and international stakeholders to consider their practices of research funding and assessment.
Let's discuss opportunities and challenges for reforming research assessment
To support the current transition towards responsible research assessment, the Danish Presidency of the European Council will host a high-level conference on the opportunities and challenges for reforming research assessment.
The conference focuses on European reforms of research assessment and provides specific examples of institutional policies and practical experiments to inspire peer learning and policy harmonisation. Across the conference, the different tracks provide various examples of methodologies and frameworks for assessing and rewarding research outputs, capacities, and skills.
The discussion of opportunities and challenges of reforming research assessment is centered around:
- An opening plenary panel on Research Assessment as a Driver for Change
- Three breakout sessions
- Research on Research Assessment
- Leadership for Change
- Balancing Competition with Collaboration
- A closing plenary panel on Global Values Underpinning Research Assessment
Side-event on 2nd December 2025 at Aalborg University in Copenhagen
Aalborg University together with Villum Foundation and international partners will host a workshop for young research leaders with the theme "Collaborative Excellence: Preparing a life as Research leader". This workshop invites researchers and emerging research leaders to explore the evolving landscape of academic leadership, with a focus on building and sustaining collaborative research teams.
The workshop is by invitation only and takes place on December 2nd, 2025 from 10 AM till 3 PM.
Chair of the Programme Committee and professor David Budtz Pedersen will be facilitating the workshop.
DORA side-event on 2nd December 2025 at Aalborg University in Copenhagen
The Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA) together with international partners will host a co-creation workshop for funders with the theme "Implementing Responsible Research Assessment at Research Funding Institutions". This co-creation workshop invites those working in funding organizations, researchers and policy makers to explore the evolving landscape of research assessment, with a focus on building a practical guide for implementing responsible research assessment for funders. This builds on DORA work with the practical guide for research performing organizations, which can be accessed at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15000683.
The workshop is by invitation only and takes place on December 2nd, 2025. Feel free to send any questions to info@sfdora.org.
The Chairs of DORA Ginny Barbour, Kelly Cobey and Rebecca Lawrence will be facilitating the workshop.
EU roundtable on 3rd December 2025 at Tivoli Hotel & Congress Center
Aalborg University together with the European Commission will host a EU roundtable with the theme "Incentivising Researchers to Engage in Science-for-Policy".
As societies grapple with complex and urgent challenges - from climate change and digital transformation to health crises and democratic trust - there is a growing demand for science to inform policy-making. Yet researchers often face a misalignment between this societal need and the academic incentives that shape their careers. This roundtable explores how the goals of the Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA) can support a cultural shift that better recognizes and rewards researchers' contributions to evidence-based policy. We invite participants to discuss concrete strategies, institutional reforms, and evaluation practices that enable researchers to engage with policy. How can new approaches to research assessment - such as narrative CVs, recognition of diverse outputs, and a focus on societal relevance - create space for meaningful policy contributions? Through interactive dialogue, the roundtable aims to foster collaborative learning across institutions, disciplines, and countries - contributing to a shared agenda for responsible research assessment and actionable science.
The EU roundtable is by invitation only and takes place on December 3rd, 2025 from 10 AM till 11:30 AM.
Chair of the Programme Committee and professor David Budtz Pedersen and Alessandro Allegra from the European Comission will be facilitating the roundtable.
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