MERIT – BIH Groups

Institutionalizing Fair and Robust Research Assessment of Research Groups through Infrastructure

The MERIT-BIH-Groups project expands the MERIT Portal for appointments by an evidence-based tool for evaluating BIH research groups. The focus is on quality- and impact-oriented assessment—in line with the CoARA principles and the translational mission of the BIH.

Background / Rationale

The MERIT-BIH Groups project aims to create a structured, participatory, and mission-driven framework for evaluating research groups at the Berlin Institute of Health (BIH) at Charité. Building on the existing MERIT Portal - originally developed to support fair, transparent professorial appointments - this initiative will adapt the platform for internal evaluation of research groups, promoting institutional learning and strategic coherence.

Objectives

Our goal is to embed a quality- and impact-oriented as well as inclusive assessment culture across BIH. To achieve this, we will co-design and pilot reporting and assessment templates and tools within the MERIT Portal, enabling structured feedback, cross-group comparison, and data-informed development across the institution.

The project will be developed in four phases: 

• In Phase 1 (Months 1–3), the project will refine MERIT’s criteria and adapt them for group-level assessment based on literature and policy evidence as well as stakeholder feedback. This phase also includes reviewing existing institutional data and reporting mechanisms to produce a co-created evaluation framework and reporting template.
• Phase 2 (Months 4–6) focuses on the technical adaptation of the MERIT Portal into a MERIT- BIH Groups module, including programming and testing user interfaces for both administrators and research groups, resulting in a functional Minimal Viable Product (MVP).
• Phase 3 (Months 7–10) will pilot the MVP with 4–6 BIH working groups, applying a mixed-methods evaluation that combines process documentation, user feedback, performance narratives, and reflexive self-assessment.
• Phase 4 (Months 11–12) will institutionalize the tool within BIH’s internal assessment processes, produce open-access documentation and templates, and share outcomes with CoARA members and the broader community through workshops, webinars, and a public GitHub repository.

Stakeholder engagement is embedded throughout to ensure acceptance, transparency, and iterative improvement. Early involvement is achieved through co-design workshops that define meaningful criteria, complemented by transparent communication via internal channels to clarify goals and processes. The assessment framework integrates reflexive self-assessment and structured feedback loops, enabling research groups to both receive and contribute to evaluation processes. 

Representation from all career stages is ensured, with tailored approaches for groups with specific contexts, such as newly formed teams or those led predominantly by early-career researchers. Educational support is provided through accessible training on research assessment and the MERIT infrastructure, available beyond the project duration. Feedback from each phase will directly inform refinements, creating a participatory, responsive, and sustainable assessment system that is aligned with BIH’s research assessment reform strategy and supported by its leadership.

Expected Results / Implications / Perspectives

MERIT-BIH-Groups project is an institutional change project. It is building on existing internal policies and tools and aims to translate these into institutional practice. It will contribute to systemic, sustainable change within BIH by embedding robust and transparent evaluation principles into the institute's internal assessment processes of research groups over time.

Outputs include adapted assessment templates (e.g., structured narrative CVs), piloted evaluation cycles, and a digital tool integrated with existing workflows. A longitudinal feature will allow for tracking group performance over time.

These outputs directly support the goals of the Agreement on Reforming Research Assessment and implement CoARA principles: qualitative peer review, recognition of diverse contributions, responsible use of metrics, and inclusivity across disciplines and career stages. MERIT-BIH Groups will foster transparency, fairness, and mission alignment in research assessment, contributing to sustainable institutional change and serving as a model for broader implementation.