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CoARA @ Charité und BIH

Welcome to CoARA@Charité and BIH

CoARA stands for Coalition for Advancing Research Assessments (CoARA). On July 20th, 2022, the European Commission, the European University Association and Science Europe published the Agreement on Reforming Research Assessment. The coalition was officially founded on December 2nd, 2022. The agreement was jointly developed through a broad stakeholder process involving over 350 organizations, including the Berlin Institute of Health (BIH). In November 2022 (BIH) and March 2023 (Charité), the BIH Board of Directors as well as the Faculty Board and Executive Board of Charité adopted the agreement and confirmed their participation in CoARA. Prior to adoption, CoARA had been presented for discussion to both the Institutional Research Commission and the Faculty Council at Charité. In April 2023, the Berlin University Alliance (BUA) also signed the agreement and joined CoARA.

The agreement sets out a common direction for reforming research assessment practices, with the goal of enhancing both the quality and the social and economic impact of research. It outlines core principles that include the diversification of research outputs, a stronger emphasis on quality-based evaluation criteria, and the responsible use of quantitative indicators grounded in scientific evidence. Additionally, the agreement promotes values such as open science, inclusion, and diversity. These principles are to be implemented across all member institutions (please find the full text of the agreement here).

As part of CoARA, it is planned that organizations worldwide—including universities, research centers, public and private research funders, national and regional authorities, and professional societies—will participate and collaborate in the continued development and, above all, the implementation of the agreed principles and criteria. The CoARA Secretariat, which provides administrative support for this process, is funded by the European Commission and staffed by the European Science Foundation.

Over the next five years, the signatories to the agreement will actively review their existing research assessment procedures and, where necessary, realign them with the principles set out in the agreement.

Action Plan

The Action Plan represents the first deliverable from Charité and BIH to CoARA. All signatory organizations are required to publish their Action Plans on Zenodo one year after signing.

The Action Plan aims to: 

  • Structure reform efforts and align them with the principles of CoARA
  • Identify relevant actors and processes for reform
  • Formulate evidence-based and realistic goals
  • Map and measure progress in implementation, including potential positive and negative side effects
  • Define responsibilities and identify resources
  • Ensure sustainability of reforms and maintain the competitiveness of scientists and institutions

The process of creating the Action Plan implies:

  • A participatory, co-creative process
  • Consultation and discussion within the relevant committees of academic self-governance at Charité and BIH
  • Consistent work on a ‘living document’ that adapts to changing circumstances and is continuously refined over time

In April 2025, we published the first version of the Action Plan - Part 1 on the Status Quo and Perspectives of internal actors (2024–2025) regarding the research assessment system at Charité and BIH. The document also provides background information on CoARA and its broader policy context. You can access it here. 

Journal Club Diversity and Responsible Research and Innovation (DRIVERS)

The Journal Club Diversity and Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) – DRIVERS provides a forum for exchange on topics related to diversity, equity, and inclusion in science and academia. It continues the work of the former Journal Club on Diversity. In monthly meetings, participants critically engage with selected literature on RRI and diversity. A particular focus is placed on the role of research assessment and its ongoing reform efforts. The Journal Club aims to equip participants with a solid understanding of RRI and diversity by exploring key concepts and evidence from current research.

The Journal Club takes place online on the first Monday of each month at 11:00 am (CET). Participation is welcome on a regular or occasional basis. We recommend that participants read the selected paper in advance, as the discussion will be more engaging and valuable for everyone when all participants are familiar with the text.

Further information, dates and the login link can be found here.

The Journal Club is jointly organized by the following team:

The Journal Club Team

Kimberly Mason. M.A. is the equal opportunity and diversity officer at the Cluster of Excellence NeuroCure at the Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany. She coordinates the Cluster’s efforts to recruit more women and underrepresented talent to the Berlin neuroscience community, to retain them in science, and to empower their career development. https://neurocure.de/ https://neurocure.de/equity-diversity-and-inclusion-770.html
Karin Höhne is the head of the equal opportunity and diversity unit of the Berlin Institute of Health at Charité. She initiates and supports change processes in order to anchor equality at all levels, remove structural barriers for women and historically marginalized groups and provides targeted support for individuals.
Katharina Grauel (coordinator, career development, ECN) 
Fabian Hempel, research fellow on the research group on Incentives and Responsible Research Assessments at QUEST Center for Responsible Research, Berlin Institute of Health at Charité, Germany.
René Bernard, PhD. M.A. is the coordinator for the translational module Value and Open Science at the Cluster of Excellence NeuroCure at the Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany. He coordinates the Cluster’s efforts to make its research products open, reliable, robust and reproducible. René provides consultations on all Open Science matters and co-teaches the corresponding course ReproducibiliTeach and Write My Protocol. https://neurocure.de/ https://neurocure.de/research-start/translational-moduls/value-and-open-science-vos-module.html
Dr. Miriam Kip, WG Lead Incentives and Responsible Research Assessment, CoARA Representative Charité and BIH
CoARA working group SAGA, Kick-Off Meeting November 2023

International CoARA Working Group SAGA

In order to collaborate, co-create, and exchange best practices on reforming research assessment, QUEST Center’s Incentives and Responsible Research Assessment WG has successfully applied for and is currently chairing an international CoARA working group "Supporting the alignment of research assessment systems with CoARA in biomedical disciplines through administrative reforms and governance" (SAGA).

The working group focuses on elaborating implementation strategies at the administrative and governance levels to support the harmonization of responsible research assessment systems in the biomedical sciences. Member organizations of the SAGA working group include EU-LIFE, Università degli Studi di Padova and University Vita-Salute San Raffaele (Italy), the National Cancer Institute (Netherlands), the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) and the Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS) (Spain).

Information on the working group can be found here.

How can I get involved?

First of all, thank you for your interest!

The implementation of CoARA is a participatory process—everyone is welcome and actively encouraged to contribute. At Charité and BIH, you can get involved in the following ways:

  • Join our CoARA@Charité and BIH working group! We meet three times a month and welcome all interested employees from Charité and BIH. The working group provides a space to explore evidence-based approaches to incentives and research assessment, and to shape concrete reform proposals. It also offers opportunities to connect with others interested in research policy and academic self-administration at Charité.

    CoARA Charité and BIH representative
    Dr. Miriam Kip, QUEST Center (miriam.kip@bih-charite.de)
     

  • Become a CoARA ambassador for your institution or department! Transforming a system as complex as research assessment requires broad support across all levels. You can also be part of the growing network of supporters.

    CoARA ambassadors at Charité and BIH (as of May 22, 2025)

    Dr. Jess Rohmann - Institute für Public Health (jessica.rohmann@charite.de) 

    Dr. René Bernard – NeuroCure (rene.bernard@charite.de)

    Dr. Jennifer Kirwan – Core facilities BIH (jennifer.kirwan@charite.de) 

    Karin Höhne – Stabsstelle Chancengleichheit Charité (karin.hoehne@charite.de)

    Dr. Vince Madai - Project team "Responsible Algorithms" (vince.madai@bih-charite.de)

  • Join our CoARA Working Group SAGA - "Supporting the alignment of research assessment systems with CoARA in biomedical disciplines through administrative reforms and governance".

    The group meets online on the first Monday of each month to discuss progress and plan next steps—and you're welcome to join. While regular participation is encouraged, occasional contributions are equally appreciated.

For information on how to participate in the various activities, write to coara@charite.de.

Useful Links and Resources

Below, you’ll find links to general information about the initiative, as well as useful resources on dissemination. If you require further information, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Past Events and Announcements

January 2025:

On January 17, 2025, the QUEST Center for Responsible Research and the Einstein Foundation Award hosted a virtual workshop on structured, narrative CVs in the Life Sciences - a new format recognizing diverse scholarly contributions, now widely used in grant applications and hiring

Narrative CVs are an innovative format that highlight a researcher’s diverse scholarly contributions with qualitative evidence, offering a more holistic view of achievements. With increasing adoption in grant applications and hiring, this workshop is designed to benefit both ECRs and those tasked with evaluating narrative CVs.

June 2024:

Open Call for Cascade Funding by CoARA - Deadline June 26th, 2024. For more information, follow this link. 
If interested in applying, please contact the CoARA Charité representative Dr. Miriam Kip (miriam.kip@bih-charite.de).

May 2024:

SAGA’s asynchronous virtual brainstorm took place online on May 16-17, 2024. The workshop was a call to action for professionals, especially those working in the administration and governance of research institutions, to engage in an international co-creation process to develop a white paper for a feasible action plan template that will be used to equip research institutions with knowledge and strategies to implement changes in their respective research evaluation systems and organizational processes. Take a look at the agenda. More information here.

February 2024: 

The asynchronous 'Virtual Brainstorm' to develop the 'Action Plan' for the implementation of the CoARA principles on research assessment reforms at Charité and BIH on February 19 and 20, 2024 has successfully taken place! If you would like to find out more about the objectives and background, here you can find useful links and resources as well as slides from the brainstorm kick-off.  

Charité Newsletter announcement on the launch of the Journal Club for Diversity and Responsible Research and Innovation on February 5. (More)

January 2024: 

Presentation of CoARA at the meeting of the Research Commission of the Charité (Slides)

Activities

Selected Talks and Poster Presentations

2025
2024
2023

Panels

Events and Workshops

Tools 

Media

Contact us

CoARA Team

Kontaktinformationen
E-Mail:coara@bih-charite.de