The CoARA Working Group Towards Open Infrastructures for Responsible Research Assessment (WG OI4RRA) recently published the Conceptual Architecture for the Implementation of a Responsible Research Assessment Framework Built on Open Infrastructures.
The mission of the OI4RRA WG is to enable institutions to move from proprietary infrastructure and research information, to open (interoperable) alternatives in support of the transition to responsible research assessment (RRA) practices. The position of the WG in the latest output produced is clear: Open infrastructures (OI) are core enablers of a fair and inclusive research assessment system. And for research-performing and research-funding organisations to align with CoARA Commitments, they need to recognise and treat OIs as shared, strategic assets, and to invest in them accordingly.
The document is the result of a collective effort to build the foundations for a modern, fair, and future-proof research assessment system based on OIs.
To translate the CoARA Commitments into practice, the document introduces a Conceptual Architecture for implementing RRA through a full-stack, interconnected OI ecosystem. The architecture is designed to move beyond traditional, proprietary systems and toward infrastructures that are open, transparent, and interoperable, reflecting the diverse realities of contemporary research and enabling assessments that are fair, contextualized, and aligned with institutional missions.
It also outlines strategic and technical guidance, in the form of policy briefs, for research-performing and research-funding organisations seeking to adopt open, interconnected, and sustainable infrastructures.
Key takeaways are summarised below:
- The architecture shows that RRA can only thrive if it is built on a fully connected system, in which metadata, identifiers, repositories, aggregators, and analytics services work together seamlessly.
- Alternative sustainability pathways are needed for OIs, as the current short-term, project-based funding model limits their long-term viability.
- Infrastructures must be co-designed and co-governed, with stakeholders participating in governance, standards development, and policy alignment to ensure these infrastructures remain fit for purpose and aligned with evolving assessment needs.
- OIs must extend beyond traditional research outputs. To support evolving practices such as the use of narrative CVs and diverse indicators in research assessment, institutions need to ensure that their systems can capture and exchange data on a wider range of contributions.
Access the document
To accompany the publication, the OI4RRA WG is hosting two identical webinars to present the main elements of the document, and to engage with the broader research community on making progress towards transparent and interoperable infrastructures for responsible research assessment.
Webinar dates and registration:
Speakers:
- Natalia Manola, Co-Chair of WG OI4RRA, presenting the conceptual framework and its relevance for the wider research assessment reform
- Thanasis Vergoulis, Lead of Subgroup 2, moderating the discussion and sharing reflections from the development process
