Responsible assessment
Jamk University of Applied Sciences (Jamk) is involved in reforming the evaluation of research and development activities. Evaluation is significant as it often guides career development, funding allocation, and research focus areas.
In 2023, Jamk committed to the Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA). This coalition includes over 700 research organizations, including major research funders. CoARA's main goal is to maximize the quality and impact of research by reforming evaluation methods and focus areas.
The aim is to strengthen transparency in practice, to better recognize the quality and different results of RDI activities, and to more broadly recognize the different merits of the contributors, such as different work tasks and expertise from different fields. The emphasis is on evidence-based and multidisciplinary, qualitative evaluation, supported by selected quantitative indicators.
CoARA is based on ten core commitments that guide the principles and practices of the reform. Each committed organization creates its own Action Plan for 2024–2027 to start reforming its evaluation practices. Like many other Finnish universities of applied sciences, Jamk's starting point for development of the evaluation is not just research, but the entire research and development activity, along with the expert staff involved. Finnish research organisations also consider development targets and practical operating models in cooperation.
Jamk University of Applied Sciences has already committed to promoting the principles of open science and research in terms of operational culture, publications, research data, and learning. One part of this commitment is the national recommendation for responsible researcher evaluation.
The foundation of responsible researcher evaluation is building a transparent process that considers integrity, fairness, competence, and diversity, recognizing the diversity of researchers' tasks and involving researchers in the evaluation. CoARA and the responsible researcher evaluation recommendation complement each other.
Researcher career path at Jamk
As part of the CoARA work, Jamk has introduced a renewed researcher career path model for staff working in researcher positions in 2026. Jamk offers the opportunity to build a researcher's career in the long term and progress along the career path through diverse tasks and evidence. Research work focuses on promoting Jamk's strengths and goals through research. In addition to evidence related to research work, the career path model takes into account development and working life cooperation, achievements related to educational cooperation and possible other achievements.
The multidisciplinary assessment and evidence-based approach included in the career path model are also utilized in the recruitment phase. Jamk recommends that when applying for researcher positions, the applicant demonstrates their multidisciplinary achievements, for example, using a narrative CV, TENK's researcher CV template, the FIN-CAM tool and researcher profiles (Research.fi, Orcid). We encourage you to provide concrete evidence of tasks and achievements related to your career and expertise.
CoARA also offers an opportunity to clarify and improve existing processes and their quality management. Jamk’s Action Plan is divided into three levels: overall R&D activities, research and development projects, and researchers and R&D experts.
- Development of Research and Development Evaluation
- CoARA commitments are taken into account in the regular internal evaluation of RDI activities.
- Utilization of peer learning between higher education institutions in the development of responsible evaluation
- Participation in national cooperation: Membership in the National Chapter of CoARA, cooperation between higher education institutions in CoARA implementation, participation in the development and implementation of nationwide responsible researcher evaluation recommendations.
- Development of Project Evaluation
- Review and piloting of evaluation criteria
- Redesigning of project evaluation in different phases of the project cycle, taking into account developed evaluation criteria
- Development and piloting of the thematical assessment across unit/school boundaries (e.g., Jamk’s research groups, research themes, project portfolios, strate-gic focus areas). In the assessment, self-assessment and peer review are used.
- Development of Researcher and RDI Expert Evaluation
- Development of researcher career models: Unified CV model, identification and recognition of diverse researcher career paths
- Development of RDI expert career models: Developing portfolio model for recruitment and supporting career development, identification and recognition of diverse RDI expert competences and tasks
- Consideration of the international perspective, especially in the researcher career model
- Development of procedures utilizing co-development, pilot testing, peer review, and self-assessment
- Information sharing, engagement, and training of supervisors
CoARA Action Plans are public and can be accessed in full via the Zenodo service.
More about the reforming research assessment and Jamk's RDI activities
Research and Development
Mika Karjalainen
