CoARA Conference 2026: Shaping CoARA’s Future
CoARA Conference 2026
Shaping CoARA's Future: Strengthened Communities Driving Systemic Change in Research Assessment
CoARA is evolving as both a community and a movement. As the coalition approaches its five-year milestone in 2027, this moment of transition provides an opportunity to bring together the coalition's core communities and spotlight how, together, CoARA members are driving reform forward.
Co-hosted by CNRS, ESF, Science Europe, and ALLEA, as part of the Horizon Europe CoARA Boost project, an upcoming conference on 7-8 September 2026 in Paris, France will offer a platform to bring together community leaders and experts across coalition and the wider research ecosystem to explore emerging practices shaping a fairer, more inclusive research culture and to collectively shape a shared vision for a future that drives systemic change.
About the Conference
Under the theme "Shaping CoARA's Future: Strengthened Communities Driving Systemic Change in Research Assessment," the conference will showcase practical experiences, emerging tools, and lessons learned from CoARA's core communities, including Working Groups, National Chapters, and Cascade Funding Beneficiaries. The conference will also aim to fostering dialogue on how to strengthen implementation, enhance collaboration, and support lasting reform.
As reform efforts mature across different institutional and national contexts, there is growing demand for practical support, stronger monitoring and evaluating mechanisms, and enhanced alignment with global partner initiatives. The conference will create a platform to explore how CoARA can strengthen its support structures for implementation, build on insights and enhance coordination across the community, and collectively shape a shared vision for a future that drives systemic change.
Conference Overview
The hybrid event will take place 7-8 September 2026 in Paris, France hosted at the CNRS Auditorium (3 rue Michel-Ange, Paris, France, 75016). The event is co-organised by ESF (hosting the CoARA Secretariat), CNRS, ALLEA, and Science Europe, with support from CoARA Boost partners.
- Paris, France at the CNRS Auditorium (3 rue Michel Ange, Paris, France 75016)
- 1.5-day hybrid conference
- Day 1: Half-day conference programme beginning in the afternoon
- Day 2: Full-day conference programme
- Invitation-only for in-person attendance
- Online participants to join via live-stream
- Features a CoARA Community Poster Showcase to be on display throughout the conference
Objectives
- Foster exchange, collaboration, and knowledge sharing across the coalition's different communities and activities.
- Showcase outputs, resources, tools, and project outcomes to date across CoARA communities.
- Identify opportunities to increase synergies between communities and create a more connected and effective coalition ecosystem.
- Draw on lessons learned and emerging good practices to inform the coalition's future development.
- Build a shared vision for CoARA's strategic evolution, sustainability, and impact.
Practical Information
Date:
7-8 September 2026
Address:
CNRS Auditorium
3 rue Michel-Ange
Paris, France, 75016
There is no registration fee for this event.
Click the button below for additional information on travel and accommodation.
Registration
An expression of interest to participate in the conference closed on 3 July 2026.
Confirmations will be sent directly by the end of July from the CoARA Secretariat to all those who registered through the EOI from the Secretariat.
All participants who registered via the EOI and are not able to attend in-person due to limited capacity onsite will be invited to register online.
Missed the deadline for the EOI but still want to join online? Fill out the online-only registration form below.
*We aim to accommodate as many online participants as possible, but final registration is subject to availability.
Featured Speakers:
Keynote speakers, panellists, and moderators across the programme include:
- Prof. Dr. Henk Kummeling (CoARA Chair, Utrecht University)
- Prof. Pawel Rowiński (President of ALLEA)
- Thierry Dauxois (CNRS Chairman and CEO)
- Dr. Karen Stroobants (CoARA Vice Chair, MCAA, Culturebase Consulting)
- Janne Pölönen (CoARA Vice Chair, Federation of Finnish Learned Societies)
- Michael Arentoft (European Commission - Head of Unit Open Science and Research Infrastructures, DG Research & Innovation)
- Dr. Lidia Borell-Damián (Science Europe - Secretary General)
- Dr. Vinciane Gaillard (EUA - Director of Research & Innovation)
- Dr. David Chavalarias (CNRS - Resarch Director)
- Nicolas Walter (ESF - CEO)
- Dr. Yensi Flores Bueso (Global Young Academy - Co-Chair, former Steering Board member)
- Silvia Gómez Recio (YERUN - Secretary General)
Mostafa Moonir Shawrav (MCAA - Executive Director) - Dr. Stefan Penders (NC Netherlands, NWO)
Dr. Rita Morais (WG Academic Career Assessment, EUA) - Dr. Matthias Kiesselbach (DFG - Direction of Research Culture, Co-Chair Working Group Improving Practices in the Assessment of Research Proposals)
- Kornelia Tzinova (UNESCO - Programme Specialist, Research Governance & Diplomacy)
- Tung Tung Chan (Erasmus University Rotterdam - Research Intelligence Advisor, Co-Chair Working Group Recognizing and Rewarding Peer Review)
- Dr. Klemen Miklavič (ARIS - Assistant Director, Co-Chair National Chapter Slovenia)
- Dr. Teresa Sordé Martí (UAB - Professor, Co-Chair Working Group Towards Transformations)
- Dr. Noémie Aubert Bonn (Hasselt University - Post-doctoral researcher, Co-Chair Working Group Experiments in Assessment)
- Krisztina Szepesvári (HUN-REN - Desk Officer of International Affairs, Co-Chair National Chapter Hungary)
- Dr. David O’Connell (University College Cork - Director of Research Support & Policy, Co-Chair National Chapter Ireland)
- Prof. Stanislaw Kistryn (CoARA Steering Board, Jagiellonian University - Professor, Co-Chair National Chapter Poland, )
- Dr. Erzsébet Tóth-Czifra (CoARA Programme Manager)
- Dr. Sylvie Rousset (CNRS - Director of the Scientific and Technical Information Department (DIST), former CoARA Steering Board member)
- Dr. Irene Ramos-Vielba (CoARA Steering Board, ANECA - Advisor)
- Giovanna Lima (DORA - Programme Manager)
- Dr. Daniella Perrotta (FOLEC-CLACSO - Coordinator)
- Hans de Jonge (CoARA Steering Board, NWO - Director Open Science)
- Dr. Frédéric Sgard (OECD Global Science Forum - Project Administrator)
- Dr. Gabi Lombardo (CoARA Steering Board, EASSH - Director)
- Noisisa Dube (National Resarch Foundation - Director, GRC Responsible Research Assessment Working Group)
- Prof. Cameron Neylon (CoARA Steering Board, Curtin University - Professor)
- Ragnar Lie (Universities Norway - Senior Advisor on Research & Knowledge Policies, Co-Chair National Chapter Norway)
- Michal Petr (Masaryk University - Office Director)
- Prof. Fabien Borget (Aix Marseille Université - Professor, Co-Chair National Chapter France)
- Iva Melinščak Zlodi (University of Zagreb - Librarian)
- Dr. Stefan Riedel (Ruhr Universität Bochum - Advisor to the Vice-Rector for Research and Transfer of Junior Researchers National Research Funding)
- Dr. Miriam Kip (Berlin Institute of Health at Charité Berlin - Research Group Leader, Co-Chair Working Group Aligning Biomedical Disciplines with Research Assessment Systems Through Administrative Reforms and Governance)
- Prof. Alis Oancea (University of Oxford - Professor)
- Prof. Silvia Penati (University of Milano-Bicocca - Professor, Co-Chair Working Group Towards an Inclusive Evaluation of Research)
Audience
The conference will bring together key stakeholders across the coalition and the wider research ecosystem, including:
- CoARA Steering Board
- CoARA Working Groups, National Chapters, Cascade Funding projects
- CoARA members & signatories
- Representatives from the European Commission
- Researchers and research managers
- Senior representatives from RFOs and RPOs
- Leadership from universities and their associations
- National authorities and policymakers
- Representatives from global reform initiatives
CoARA Community Poster Showcase
A poster exhibition next to the auditorium will be on display throughout the conference with an aim to further spotlight projects and outputs from CoARA Working Groups, National Chapters, and Cascade Funding beneficiaries.
There will be an opportunity to exchange and learn more from Co-Chairs and projects leads during a post-conference networking coffee on Day 2 of the conference.
Conference Organisers
FAQ
Questions?
Contact the CoARA Secretariat at secretariat@coara.eu or communication@coara.org!