The Secretariat of the Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA) launches a call for candidates including roles for Chair, Vice Chair, and Steering Board members.
We are pleased to launch the Call for Candidates for the CoARA Steering Board, including positions for Chair and 7 Steering Board member seats, including a Vice Chair role.
The CoARA Steering Board oversees the strategic direction, governance, and long-term sustainability of the coalition. The Call for Candidates seeks a diverse range of profiles to ensure the continued expertise, leadership, and commitment to advancing research reform. While a diversity of profiles is valued, Steering Board members are expected to have expertise and a broad overview of research assessment issues and be committed to participate in CoARA activities. Candidates should demonstrate strong leadership and communication skills and a commitment to advancing research assessment reform.
Overview:
- Call Launch: 12 October 2026
- Call Deadline: 11 November 2026 (midnight CET)
Open Positions:
-
CoARA Chair
-
7 Steering Board Members, including 1 Vice-Chair
Application:
For more details on eligibility criteria, expected profiles, and election process, please see the Call for Candidates 2026.
For any questions regarding the call or application procedures, do not hesitate to contact the CoARA Secretariat at secretariat@coara.eu.
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 upcoming election will be conducted online with voting to open in mid-November, following the deadline of the Call for Candidates. Voting will close during the upcoming General Assembly meeting on 9 December 2026.
Eligibility Criteria
Any CoARA member organisation can nominate one of its employees or other persons affiliated with its organisation as a candidate. CoARA member organisations may nominate one candidate for the role of Chair and one candidate for the Steering Board, including Vice Chair.
Only nominations from organisations who are CoARA members by October 1st, 2026, will be eligible to nominate a candidate. Organisations that have their CoARA membership confirmed by the start of the online voting (November 24th, 2026) will be eligible to vote in the election.
For more information about the membership at CoARA, please consult the FAQs “Who can sign the Agreement and join the Coalition?” and “How to join the Coalition?”.
Composition of the Current Steering Board:
The current composition of Steering Board members who will continue their terms, and therefore are not up for re-election, is listed below:
| Name | Organisation (Type) | Country |
| Mr. Janne Pölönen
(Vice-Chair) |
Federation of Finnish Learned Societies (ACA) | Finland
(Region B) |
| Prof. Oliver Günther | University of Potsdam (UNI) | Germany
(Region B) |
| Dr. Kalpana Chaudhari | Institute for Sustainable Development and Research (ACA) | India
(Region C) |
Steering Board members whose mandate ends in December 2026:
| Name | Organisation (Type) | Country |
| Prof. Henk KUMMELING
(Chair) |
Utrecht University (UNI) | The Netherlands |
| Dr. Karen STROOBANTS
(Vice-Chair) |
Marie Curie Alumni Association (ACA) | United Kingdom |
| Prof. Marcin PALYS | European University Association (UNI) | Poland |
| Dr. Irène RAMOS-VIELBA | The Spanish National Agency for Quality Assessment and Accreditation (AUTH) | Spain |
| Dr. Gabi LOMBARDO | European Alliance for SSH (OTH) | Italy |
| Prof. Cameron NEYLON | Curtin Open Knowledge Initiative (RES) | Australia |
| M. Hans DE JONGE | Dutch Research Council (FUN) | The Netherlands |
| Prof. Stanislaw KISTRYN | Jagiellonian University in Kraków (UNI) | Poland |
Steering Board member terms are based on an initial two-year term duration. The Chair, Vice-Chair, and Steering Board members may run for re-election following their two-year mandates. The maximum duration a Steering Board member may serve, including Chair and Vice Chair roles, is a total of four years maximum.
Image generated by Chat GPT
Understanding the balancing mechanisms
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).
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.
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.
For an overview of the Steering Board election process, click here for the Steering Board elections flyer 2026.
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. 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. All CoARA Steering Board members and candidates are expected to follow CoARA’s Code of Conduct.
Application Procedure:
Chair: The election of the Chair is a separate election from that of the other Steering Board members. Two separate online voting ballots will be provided. Candidates for the Chair position must submit an application template with a brief motivation statement and a narrative CV detailing their background and expertise, including how they match the profile for the Chair position, and a mandatory Nominating Organisation’s Support Letter.
Each CoARA member organisation can vote for one Chair candidate, and the candidate with the most votes will be elected.
As per the “CoARA Rules of Procedure: Chairs, Vice-Chairs and Steering Board” adopted by the General Assembly on December 9th, 2025, the Chair now serves for a term of two years, renewable once by another 2-year term. The total length of the term therefore cannot exceed 4 years.
Vice-Chair and Steering Board Members: Candidates for the Steering Board may also declare candidacy for the Vice-Chair position. The candidates who receive the most votes for the Steering Board, and who also declared candidacy for Vice-Chair, will be nominated as Vice-Chairs. Vice-Chairs serve a two-year term, which can be renewed once by another 2-year term. Steering Board members are elected for an initial term of two years, with the possibility of renewing their term twice by one-year consecutive periods. The total term cannot exceed four years. All candidates for the Steering Board and must apply using the online form, with a brief motivation statement, a narrative CV detailing their background and expertise, and a mandatory Nominating Organisation’s Support Letter.
How to apply:
Call Deadline and Submissions
Applications should be submitted using the above online form and accompanying letter of support by Tuesday, 11 November 2026 at midnight (CET).
We look forward to receiving nominations from the broad membership of the coalition!
For any questions regarding the call or application procedures, please contact the CoARA Secretariat: secretariat@coara.eu.