Responsible Research Assessment Reform in Europe: Where Does Georgia Stand?

Abstract

In recent years, Responsible Research Assessment has gained growing importance within the European Research Area and has emerged as a focal science policy objective. In 2021, the European Commission released a scoping report and proposed a coalition approach for research assessment reform, which set the groundwork for the establishment of the Agreement and Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA) in Europe. This development holds significance for Georgia, which was granted candidate status for EU membership in December 2023. However, despite efforts to align with European standards, Georgia's research assessment system remains fragmented, inefficient, and ineffective. While studies confirm the need to reform existing research assessment practices in Georgia, as of January 2024, only three organizations from the country have joined the CoARA agreement.

The purpose of this study was twofold: firstly, to explore the implementation of the CoARA agreement in Georgia; and secondly, to evaluate Georgia's position within the ongoing responsible research assessment reform in Europe, while also offering future prospects for adapting the CoARA agreement to Georgia’s context. To achieve these research objectives, a qualitative multiple case study design was employed.The findings of the study indicate that while research assessment is a widely discussed topic in Georgia, it is not framed within the context of the ongoing responsible research assessment reform in Europe and the CoARA agreement. Document analysis and interview findings show some progress in this area, but Georgia is still in the early stages of the responsible research assessment reform compared to developments in Europe, particularly in Austria.