GraspOS Community of Practice Event Highlights: Exploring Context in Responsible Research Assessment

• March 12, 2025

Today, the GraspOS Community of Practice held an online event from 10:00 to 11:30 CET, focusing on the role of context in Responsible Research Assessment. The session was chaired by Clifford Tatum from CWTS/GraspOS and included presentations by Laura Himanen from CSC/GraspOS. A panel discussion featured diverse perspectives from Karen Stroobants (CoARA), Gareth O’Neill (Technopolis Group/OPUS), James Morris (Science Europe), and Sarah de Rijcke (Leiden University).

Introduction and Observations

The event began with Clifford Tatum introducing the role and implications of context in research assessment. He emphasized the need for assessment practices to respect the variety of scientific disciplines and research types, acknowledging the importance of multi-, inter-, and trans-disciplinary approaches. Laura Himanen presented the observed diversity in the GraspOS pilots, highlighting how these pilots initially classified by type offered little practical value due to their diverse contexts. This realization led to a focus on how contextual factors shape research assessment reforms.

Panel Discussion

The panel discussion explored diverse approaches to research assessment and their implications for reform. Karen Stroobants introduced the call for assessment reform that emphasizes being “as aligned as possible, but as diverse as necessary,” reflecting on the motivation behind this principle. Gareth O’Neill shared observations on the role of context and comparability in relation to OPUS pilots, focusing on how these elements are crucial for evaluating researchers based on the diversity of their contributions and incentivizing Open Science practices.

James Morris provided an RFO perspective on context and comparability in assessing grant proposals, highlighting the challenges and opportunities in implementing these principles in funding decisions. Sarah de Rijcke offered an RPO perspective, discussing how research assessment should be conducted commensurately to the specific nature of scientific disciplines and research missions.

What has been presented from the OPUS project

Gareth O’Neill, a member of the OPUS team and Principal Consultant on Open Science at Technopolis Group, presented the OPUS project. The OPUS project is designed to reform the assessment of research and researchers by developing coordination and support measures that incentivize and reward Open Science practices. At its core, OPUS aims to create a comprehensive set of indicators for research performing organizations (RPOs) and research funding organizations (RFOs), applicable across countries, disciplines, and organizations.

OPUS combines both quantitative and qualitative assessment methods, focusing primarily on the assessment of researchers and their projects. It covers the full spectrum of activities conducted by researchers, offering both generic and specific frameworks to assess researcher activities, including Open Science activities. The project distinguishes between processes, outputs, and outcomes in assessment, phrasing indicators to guide implementation while allowing flexibility. Ultimately, the selection, refinement, and prioritization of indicators are left to RPOs/RFOs.

The OPUS project involves several pilot organizations, including Nova University of Lisbon, University of Cyprus, University of Rijeka, and others. These pilots aim to evaluate researchers based on the diversity of their contributions and incentivize Open Science practices. For instance, Nova University of Lisbon is focusing on the Global Health and Tropical Medicine Research Centre and the Information Management Research Centre, while the University of Cyprus is working with the KIOS Research and Innovation Centre of Excellence.

Brief Overview of GraspOS and GraspOS Community

The GraspOS project supports emerging policy reforms towards an Open Science-aware Responsible Research Assessment system by developing and operating an open and trusted federated infrastructure for next-generation research metrics. The GraspOS Community of Practice facilitates discussions and collaborations among stakeholders to advance these goals.

In summary, the GraspOS project and community focus on reforming research assessment to align with Open Science principles, while the GraspOS Community of Practice provides a platform for stakeholders to discuss and implement these reforms.

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