UCC to co-lead national initiative in driving Open Research and the Responsible Research Assessment agenda

2 Nov 2023

• UCC to co-lead the National Chapter for Ireland, bringing together ten higher education institutions and three research funding organisations.
• The creation of National Chapters in different jurisdictions is a key action of the European Union’s Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA) and underpins their strategy for implementing and embedding Responsible Research Assessment (RRA), a key element of the Open Research agenda.
• €200,000 awarded to UCC under the National Open Research Forum (NORF) Research Fund 2023 to embed Open Research practices in Ireland.

University College Cork (UCC) will co-lead a development that will facilitate the University in taking a national and European-wide leadership role in driving Responsible Research Assessment (RRA), developments which are set to transform the world of research.

Championed by the European Union’s Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA), the creation of National Chapters in different jurisdictions will support the implementation of research and researcher assessment that recognises the diverse outputs, practices and activities that maximise the quality and impact of research.

Approved by the CoARA Steering Board, the National Chapter for Ireland, will be led by Dr David O’Connell, UCC’s Director of Research Support and Policy, and Dr Sally Smith, Head of Research at Trinity College Dublin (TCD).

The National Chapter for Ireland will bring together ten higher education institutions and three research funding organisations, encompassing all current CoARA signatories in Ireland, and will provide a platform to exchange knowledge and mutual learning on issues that are specific to Ireland.

The Chapter will deliver consensus on a commitment to broaden Ireland’s recognition of diverse research outputs, outcomes, and careers in research. The longer-term impact will be culture-change, achieved through open, transparent communication, leading to trusted partnership and collaboration between different organization types, roles, and responsibilities that will deliver systemic change.

To date, more than 500 funding agencies, universities and organisations have signed the CoARA Agreement, committing to inclusivity and the belief that knowledge should be a shared societal asset.

Photo: Dr David O’Connell speaking at yesterday’s Workshop on Advancing a Shared Direction for Research Assessment organised by the National Research Integrity Forum and the National Open Research Forum. Photo credit: Daniel Bangert.

UCC’s commitment to driving the Open Research agenda has been further strengthened with a UCC-hosted project entitled The Roadmap to Embedding Open Research Practices in Ireland (ABOARD) awarded funding of €200,000 under the National Open Research Forum (NORF) Research Fund 2023.

Focussed on incentivising Open Research practices in Ireland, and led by UCC’s, Dr David O’Connell and TCD’s, Dr Sally Smith, this project brings together a strong national consortium of research-performing organisations, research-funding organisations and key researcher groups to engage in deep, iterative dialogue with key stakeholders across the Irish research landscape.

The project, one of thirteen new consortia-based projects designed to advance the implementation of the National Action Plan for Open Research 2022-2030, plans to use a consultation-driven approach to reach agreement on core commitments and concrete steps to effectively incentivise Open Research practices, develop a statement on the use of Responsible Research Metrics, and support the development of RRA.

An official launch of the project is taking place on November 2nd at Ireland’s inaugural National Open Research Festival. These projects are supported with funding of €1.76 million from NORF’s Open Research Fund 2023, provided by the Higher Education Authority (HEA).

Dr David O’Connell, UCC’s Director of Research Support & Policy and Co-lead of the CoARA National Chapter for Ireland and the NORF-funded project, commented: “Enabled by these two key initiatives, UCC is well-positioned to help shape the Open Research agenda, both nationally and across Europe, and to deliver a Research and Innovation ecosystem that empowers citizens with the tools to understand, question, and contribute to societal progress.”

Professor John F. Cryan, UCC Vice President for Research and Innovation said: “These two awards recognise UCC’s commitment to advancing the objectives of the CoARA agreement, and support UCC’s strategic commitment to transform research culture. Greater openness and transparency in research are essential to ensuring excellence and delivering societal impact.”