The Secretariat of the Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA) launches a call for candidates with three CoARA Steering Board Member positions, including one Vice-Chair
Overview:
- Call Launch: October 13th, 2025
- Call Deadline: November 12th, 2025, at midnight (CET)
Application:
For more details on eligibility criteria, expected profiles, and election process, please see the Call for Candidates 2025.
The CoARA Secretariat is seeking candidates for the following positions, to be elected at the upcoming CoARA General Assembly on Wednesday, December 10th, 2025:
- 3 Steering Board Members, including 1 Vice-Chair.
Elected candidates will begin their terms immediately upon the announcement of the voting results.
The CoARA Steering Board (SB) is responsible for the overall oversight, strategic vision, work plan, and sustainability of CoARA. The SB provides guidance for member participation and oversees the work of the Working Groups, National Chapters, and the General Assembly, ensuring that the activities of the coalition align with its long-term aims and mission for advancing research assessment.
Objective:
The CoARA Steering Board oversees the strategic direction, governance, and long-term sustainability of the coalition. The election aims to ensure that the Steering Board is composed of individuals who bring a diverse range of expertise, leadership, and commitment to advancing research assessment reforms, while maintaining balanced representation across member organisations.
This call seeks candidates who can contribute to CoARA’s mission and actively engage in its initiatives.
The current composition of Steering Board members who will continue their terms, and therefore are not up for re-election, is listed below:
| Name | Gender1 | Organisation (Type2) | Country3 | Region3 |
| Prof. Henk Kummeling
(Chair) |
Male | Utrecht University (UNI) | The Netherlands | B |
| Dr. Karen Stroobants
(Vice-Chair) |
Female | Marie Curie Alumni Association (ACA) | United Kingdom | B |
| Prof. Marcin Palys | Male | European University Association (UNI) | Poland | A |
| Dr. Irene Ramos-Vielba | Female | The Spanish National Agency for Quality Assessment and Accreditation (AUTH) | Spain | B |
| Dr. Gabi Lombardo | Female | European Alliance for SSH (OTH) | Italy | B |
| Prof. Cameron Neylon | Male | Curtin Open Knowledge Initiative (RES) | Australia | C |
| M. Hans de Jonge | Male | Dutch Research Council (NWO) (FUN) | The Netherlands | B |
| Prof. Stanislaw Kistryn | Male | Jagiellonian University in Kraków (UNI) | Poland | A |
Steering Board members whose mandate ends in December 2025:
| Name | Gender1 | Organisation (Type2) | Country3 | Region3 |
| Dr. Elizabeth Gadd
(Vice-Chair) |
Female | International Network of Research Management Societies (OTH) | United Kingdom | B |
| Mr Janne Pölönen | Male | Federation of Finnish Learned Societies (ACA) | Finland | B |
| Dr. Luciana Balboa | Female | Global Young Academy (ACA) | Argentina | C |
1 Gender balance: The following gender balance will be applied: 25:25:50 (25% men; 25% women; 50% open) in an effort to attract the best candidates and support diversity.
2 Type of Organisation: At least one and not more than four Steering Board members should originate from each of the following types of organisations, provided candidacies have been presented for each category:
- Universities and their associations (UNI).
- Research centres, research infrastructures, and their associations (RES)
- Academies, learned societies, and their associations, and associations of researchers (ACA).
- Public or private research funding organisations and their associations (FUN).
- National/regional authorities or agencies that implement some form of research assessment and their associations (AUTH)
- Other relevant non-profit organisations involved with research assessment, and their associations (OTH).
3 Geographical Diversity: Minimum two Steering Board members should be located in each of the following geographical regions, provided candidacies have been presented for each of these regions:
| Region A | Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia |
|
Region B |
Albania, Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Denmark, Faroe Islands, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, the Netherlands, Norway, Serbia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK, Ukraine |
| Region C | All other countries. |
The number of Steering Board members affiliated in one country cannot exceed two. Thus, candidates located in a country with two existing members on the Steering Board can only be put forward for election in the year that at least one member is stepping down.
The current makeup of the Steering Board (for members whose terms continue) in terms of balancing criteria is the following:
Figure 1: Distribution of Continuing Steering Board Members by Gender (please refer to note 1 for more information)
Figure 2: Distribution of Continuing Steering Board Members by Organisation Type (please refer to note 2 for more information)
Figure 3: Distribution of Continuing Steering Board Members by Geographical Diversity (please refer to note 3 for more information)
Expected profiles
The Steering Board is composed of a maximum of eleven (11) members, including the Chair and up to two (2) Vice-Chairs with balancing mechanisms of organisation type, geographical diversity, and gender balance taken into account, in addition to the diversity of disciplines and relevance of experience.
While a diversity of profiles is valued, Steering Board members are expected to have expertise and a broad overview of research assessment issues. Candidates’ experience should demonstrate their commitment to CoARA’s values and guiding principles. Candidates should also be prepared to publicly represent the coalition and participate in a variety of CoARA activities and events. Desirable candidates will demonstrate strong leadership and communication skills, a strategic vision for the collective future of CoARA, and a commitment to advancing research assessment reform.
Application Procedure:
Candidates must submit their application using the online form for a Vice-Chair position or Steering Board member position, and must provide a Letter of Support from their Nominating Organisation using the template below:
Call Deadline and Submissions
Applications should be submitted using the above online form and accompanying letter of support by Tuesday November 12th, 2025, at midnight (CET).
For any questions regarding the call or application procedures, please contact the CoARA Secretariat: secretariat@coara.eu