Programme Schedule – CoARA Conference 2026: Shaping CoARA’s Future
Programme Schedule: CoARA Conference 2026
Shaping CoARA's Future: Strengthened Communities Driving Systemic Change in Research Assessment
Day 1: Agenda
7 September 2026 | 12h15 - 20h00 CEST
12h15 - 13h00 | Welcome coffee & registration | Please bring identification for registration.
13h00 - 13h10 | Opening remarks from CNRS, ALLEA, and CoARA Steering Board
- CNRS Chairman and CEO, Mr. Thierry Dauxois
- President of ALLEA, Prof. Pawel Rowiński
- CoARA Chair, Prof. Dr. Henk Kummeling (Utrecht University)
13h10 - 14h00 | Keynote panel: Research Assessment at a Turning Point
- Panellists:
- Dr. Karen Stroobants (CoARA Vice Chair, Culturebase Consulting)
- Dr. Michael Arentoft (European Commission, Head of Unit for Open Science and Research)
- Dr. Lidia Borrell-Damián (Science Europe, Secretary General)
- Dr. Vinciane Gaillard (EUA, Director of Research & Innovation)
- Moderated by Mr. Nicolas Walter (ESF, CEO)
- Includes 10-minute Q&A session
14h00 - 15h15 | Fireside Chats with Working Groups in moderated discussion
- Group A: Improving practices in research proposals and recognising peer review in funding contexts
- Panellists:
- Dr. Matthias Kiesselbach (DFG, Co-Chair Working Group Improving Practices in the Assessment of Research Proposals)
- Ms. Tung Tung Chan (Erasmus University Rotterdam, Co-Chair of the Working Group on Recognizing and Rewarding Peer Review)
- Dr. Klemen Miklavič (ARIS, Assistant Director)
- Moderated by Ms. Silvia Gómez Recio (YERUN, Secretary General)
- Group B: Experimentation and societal impact as core criterion in research performing contexts
- Panellists:
- Prof. Dr. Teresa Sordé Martí (UAB, Co-Chair Working Group Towards Transformations)
- Dr. Noémie Aubert Bonn (Hasselt University, Co-Chair Working Group Experiments in Assessment)
- Dr. Sylvie Rousset (CNRS, Director of the Scientific and Technical Information Department)
- Moderated by Dr. Mostafa Moonir Shawrav (MCAA, Executive Director)
15h15 - 16h00 | Cascade Funding Projects: Catalysers of institutional change
- Ms. Iva Melinščak Zlodi (University of Zagreb, Librarian, Pilot Project)
- Dr. Stefan Riedel (Ruhr University Bochum, Advisor to the Vice-Rector for Research and Transfer of Junior Researchers National Research Funding, Teaming Project)
- Dr. Miriam Kip (Berlin Institute of Health at Charité Berlin, Research Group Leader, Change Project)
- Moderated by Prof. Alis Oancea (University of Oxford, Professor)
16h00 - 16h30 | Coffee Break
16h30 - 17h40 | Panel: Towards Communities of Practice
- Panellists:
- Dr. Stefan Penders (NWO, Co-Chair of National Chapter Netherlands)
- Dr. Rita Morais (EUA, Co-Chair Working Group on Reforming Academic Career Assessment)
- Prof. Stanislaw Kistryn (Jagiellonian University, CoARA Steering Board, Co-Chair of National Chapter Poland)
- Prof. Silvia Penati (University of Milano-Bicocca, Co-Chair Working Group Towards an Inclusive Evaluation of Research)
- Moderated by Ms. Krisztina Szepesvári (HUN-REN, Co-Chair National Chapter of Hungary)
- Includes 15-minute Q&A session
17h40 - 17h50 | Day 1: Reflections and Wrap-Up
- CoARA Vice Chair, Mr. Janne Pölönen (Federation of Finnish Learned Societies)
17h50 - 18h00 | Group photo
18h00 - 20h00 | Welcome reception
Day 2: Agenda
8 September 2026 | 8h30 - 17h30 CEST
8h30 - 9h30 | Welcome coffee & registration | Please bring identification for registration.
9h30 - 9h45 | Welcome Address
- Dr. Yensi Flores Bueso (Global Young Academy, Co-Chair)
9h45 - 10h30 | Analysing Action Plans with GarganText: What are the Major Trends?
- Dr. David Chavalarias (CNRS, Research Director of the Centre for Social Analysis and Mathematics)
10h30 - 11h00 | Insights from an Analysis of ARRA Action Plans and Interviews with Signatories: What does this mean for CoARA?
- Dr. Karen Stroobants (CoARA Vice Chair, Culturebase Consulting)
11h00 - 11h30 | Coffee Break
11h30 - 12h45 | Panel: Expanding Engagement and Reach of the Global Reform Movement
- Panellists:
- Dr. Giovanna Lima (DORA, Programme Manager)
- Dr. Daniela Perrotta (FOLEC-CLACSO, Coordinator)
- Dr. Frédéric Sgard (OECD Global Science Forum, Project Administrator)
- Ms. Kornelia Tzinova (UNESCO, Programme Specialist, Research Governance & Diplomacy)
- Ms. Noisisa Dube (Global Research Council Responsible Research Assessment Working Group, Co-Chair)
- Prof. Cameron Neylon (CoARA Steering Board)
- Moderated by Dr. James Morris (Science Europe, Senior Policy Officer) and Ms. Maria Ronald (ALLEA, CoARA Project Manager)
- Includes parallel Mentimeter session
12h45 - 14h15 | Lunch
14h15 - 15h30 | National Chapters as Connectors to Bridge the Implementation Gap
- Presenters:
- Mr. Ragnar Lie (Universities Norway, Co-Chair National Chapter Norway)
- Dr. David O’Connell (University College Cork, Co-Chair National Chapter Ireland)
- Ms. Krisztina Szepesvári (HUN-REN, Co-Chair National Chapter Hungary)
- Mgr. Michal Petr (Masaryk University, Office Director)
- Moderated by Prof. Fabien Borget (Aix-Marseille University, Co-Chair National Chapter France)
- Includes 15-minute Q&A session
15h30 - 16h40 | Panel: Building a Future Vision for CoARA's Next Phase
- Panellists:
- CoARA Chair, Prof. Dr. Henk Kummeling (Utrecht University)
- CoARA Vice Chair, Mr. Janne Pölönen (Federation of Finnish Learned Societies)
- Dr. Irene Ramos-Vielba (CoARA Steering Board, ANECA)
- Mr. Hans de Jonge (CoARA Steering Board, NWO)
- Dr. Gabi Lombardo (CoARA Steering Board, EASSH)
- Moderated by Dr. Erzsébet Tóth-Czifra (CoARA Programme Manager, ESF)
- Includes 15-minute Q&A session
16h40 - 16h50 | Concluding Remarks
- CoARA Chair, Prof. Dr. Henk Kummeling (Utrecht University)
16h50 - 17h30 | Engage with CoARA and post-conference networking coffee
- CoARA Community poster display
- Engage with the CoARA Steering Board on the upcoming elections
Conference Organisers
