On 14 July 2026, the Marie Curie Alumni Association (MCAA) hosted a conversation on Inclusive Research Assessment in Brussels as part of the Dissemination Tour of the Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA) Working Group Towards an Inclusive Evaluation of Research (TIER). The event brought together policymakers, research funders, universities and researchers to discuss how research assessment can better reflect the diversity of research careers across Europe.
A central panel explored how research funders and institutions can put inclusive assessment into practice. Speakers agreed that meaningful reform goes beyond changing evaluation criteria. It requires transparent procedures, well-trained evaluators, appropriate assessment tools, and a research culture that recognises diverse career paths, interdisciplinary collaboration, Open Science practices and a broad range of research contributions.
Participants also highlighted the important role of funding organisations in driving change through funding conditions, peer review and evaluation processes. Existing initiatives, including the Agreement on Reforming Research Assessment, the European Charter for Researchers, and the growing use of narrative CVs and qualitative assessment, demonstrate that research assessment reform is already underway across Europe.
The discussion also looked ahead to the ERA Act and FP10, stressing that sustainable research careers depend not only on fair assessment, but also on better employment conditions, career development opportunities and a broader understanding of excellence.
These discussions closely align with the objectives of SECURE2, which supports more transparent, attractive and sustainable research careers by promoting evidence-based policies and institutional reforms across the European Research Area.
Photo: MCAA
