CoARA - Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment

Name

CoARA - Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment

Legal name

Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment

Website

https://coara.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Research Policy Coalition

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Monitoring, Evaluation, Learning (MEL) & Reporting for Donor Programs (BPADAOAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Donor Coordination, Monitoring & Evaluation (MEL) Programs (BPADABAN)

Keywords

• Research assessment reform
• Responsible research evaluation
• Academic assessment frameworks
• Research policy coalition
• Open science recognition

Headquarters

HQ city

Strasbourg

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. EU Research Funding: CoARA Boost is a three-year project (starting October 2023) funded by the European Commission under Horizon Europe (HORIZON-WIDERA-2023-ERA-01 grant agreement 101131826) with approximately 5 million EUR, of which 2.75 million EUR is distributed as cascade funding to support institutional reform pathways.
2. Voluntary Sponsorship: CoARA launched a voluntary sponsorship campaign where community members can fund the organization, described as funding a community-owned CoARA.
3. Membership Dues: Coalition membership is free; signatories can elevate to member status without any fees simply by filling out a form and signing the agreement.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

CoARA is an international coalition that drives systemic reform of how research and researchers are evaluated. Its core offerings include the Agreement on Reforming Research Assessment (10 commitments for qualitative, peer-review-based assessment), Working Groups and National Chapters for mutual learning, Action Plans for organisational reform, the CoARA Collection resource library, and the EU-funded CoARA Boost project with cascade funding to support member-led institutional reform initiatives.

Product overview

CoARA is an international coalition (not a software product) focused on reforming how research and researchers are evaluated. The organization offers a suite of interconnected offerings: the Agreement on Reforming Research Assessment (the foundational document with 10 core commitments), the CoARA Collection (a community-owned resource library of endorsed tools and outputs), Working Groups and National Chapters (bottom-up communities of practice for mutual learning), Action Plans (organizational reform roadmaps), and the CoARA Boost Cascade Funding program (EU-funded financial support for institutional reform). The portfolio operates as a collaborative framework rather than a technology product, with member organizations committing to qualitative assessment principles over metric-based evaluation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CoARA Boost: A three-year EU-funded project (5 million EUR) launched in October 2023 to strengthen CoARA's operational capacity, catalyze knowledge development, and widen the coalition's global membership. Includes 2.75 million EUR in cascade funding for member projects.
• CoARA Collection
• CoARA Cascade Funding

Products and services

• Agreement on Reforming Research Assessment The foundational agreement establishing shared principles and 10 core commitments for reforming research assessment, promoting qualitative evaluation over metric-based approaches. Signed by over 800 organisations.
• Working Groups Bottom-up communities of practice operating under principles of mutual learning and collaboration, developing outputs to support implementation of CoARA commitments across topics like research proposal assessment (IPARP), open infrastructures (OI4RRA), and university rankings (TURN).
• National Chapters Country-specific chapters (UK, Italy, Norway, Poland, Spain, Ukraine, and others) facilitating exchange of knowledge, mutual learning, and discussions on CoARA-relevant issues within given countries.
• Action Plans Organisational roadmaps outlining implementation of CoARA commitments, to be published by organisations within one year after signing the agreement.
• CoARA Collection A community-owned library hosting endorsed outputs, tools, frameworks, and resources for research assessment reform, including actionable policy documents and evidence-based support materials.
• CoARA Boost Cascade Funding EU-funded cascade funding program distributing €2.75 million to at least 50 projects supporting institutional reform pathways across organisations of different types and geographical areas.
• Improving Practices in the Assessment of Research Proposals Framework Endorsed framework providing research funding organisations with strategic guidance and core concepts for navigating reform processes in research proposal assessment.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 800 organisations signed the Agreement on Reforming Research Assessment
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• INORMS (International Network of Research Management Societies)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2025INORMS Research Evaluation Group co-nominated Elizabeth Gadd for Vice Chair. INORMS contributes to WG TURN (Thinking Critically about University Rankings). INORMS resources like 'More Than Our Rank' and SCOPE Framework are part of the CoARA Collection.
• DORA (Declaration on Research Assessment)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 February 2024CoARA and DORA announced collaboration with shared principles. The CoARA Collection includes DORA's Practical Guide for Funders. Both initiatives work toward responsible research assessment reform.
• UK National Chapter Co-leadscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 February 2024UK National Chapter co-led by University of Strathclyde, Swansea University, Loughborough University, and University of Bristol. These institutions drive UK implementation of CoARA principles and recruit new members.
• CoARA Boost Project PartnersmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2023Network of partners for the CoARA Boost project: AVENUR (Italy), ALLEA (All European Academies), CRAC (Careers Research and Advisory Centre), CNRS (France), ESF, HUN-REN (Hungary), MCAA (Marie Curie Alumni Association), Science Europe, YERUN (Young European Research Universities Network).
• CLACSO (Latin American Forum for Research Assessment)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 June 2023Guest speaker Dr. Laura Rovelli from CLACSO addressed synergies between CoARA's mission and Latin American Forum for Research Assessment during the General Assembly.
• NASA TOPS (Transform to Open Science Mission)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 June 2023Dr. Chelle Gentemann, lead of NASA TOPS and co-chair of OSTP subcommittee, presented on alignment between NASA's 5-year open science mission and CoARA's objectives.
• European Science Foundation (ESF) / ESF Science ConnectcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2022ESF Science Connect was appointed as the CoARA Secretariat at the Constitutive Assembly on 1 December 2022. ESF hosts and coordinates the coalition's secretariat, providing operational support including programme management, administration, and coordination of Working Groups.
• Science EuropecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Science Europe co-created the Agreement on Reforming Research Assessment and served as part of the Interim Secretariat along with EUA and European Commission. Contributed to drafting the agreement and facilitating the stakeholder process.
• European University Association (EUA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022EUA co-created the Agreement and served as part of the Interim Secretariat. EUA supports member universities in understanding and signing the Agreement, and committed to developing CoARA work plans.
• European CommissioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022European Commission co-created the Agreement and served as part of the Interim Secretariat. Funded the CoARA Boost project (5 million EUR) under Horizon Europe to strengthen operational capacity.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Science Europe: Science Europe co-created CoARA and serves on its Interim Secretariat. As a broader membership association of major European research funding organisations, it operates an overlapping constituency and shares policy objectives, though its remit spans all aspects of European research funding rather than just assessment reform.
• European Science Foundation (ESF): ESF hosts the CoARA Secretariat through its ESF Science Connect services arm. As a broader pan-European science organisation, ESF's scope extends well beyond research assessment, but its operational hosting role makes it a key strategic peer.
• European University Association (EUA): EUA co-created CoARA and represents over 850 universities across Europe. Its Council for Doctoral Education and other expert groups address related research and higher education policy issues, overlapping directly with CoARA's university-focused reform agenda.
• League of European Research Universities (LERU): LERU is an association of 23 leading European research-intensive universities that has actively engaged in research assessment reform debates. Many LERU members are CoARA signatories, and LERU publishes position papers on metrics-based evaluation aligned with CoARA's mission.

Direct peers

• ALLEA (All European Academies): ALLEA is a federation of European academies that is both a CoARA Boost project partner and a peer in driving responsible research assessment. ALLEA publishes position statements on research evaluation and integrity that overlap substantively with CoARA's commitments.
• DORA (Declaration on Research Assessment): The most directly comparable peer: DORA is a parallel international initiative focused on reforming research assessment by reducing reliance on Journal Impact Factors. CoARA has an active collaboration agreement with DORA (announced February 2024), and both target overlapping constituencies of funders, universities, and researchers.
• INORMS (International Network of Research Management Societies): INORMS is a peer coalition of research management societies globally. CoARA has a formal collaboration with INORMS, and INORMS contributes to Working Group TURN and integrates resources like 'More Than Our Rank' into the CoARA Collection.

Emerging players

• YERUN (Young European Research Universities Network): YERUN is a network of young European research universities that co-nominated CoARA's first Steering Board Chair. Its focus on emerging research-intensive universities makes it a strategic peer in driving adoption of assessment reform principles.
• Global Young Academy: Global Young Academy is a CoARA Steering Board nominator and represents early-career researchers in reform discussions. Its focus on next-generation researchers aligns with CoARA's mission to recognise diverse research contributions.

Regional players

• CLACSO (Latin American Forum for Research Assessment): CLACSO is a regional Latin American network with a dedicated forum for research assessment reform, complementary to CoARA's mission. CLACSO representatives (Dr. Laura Rovelli) have addressed CoARA's General Assembly, signalling alignment on regional reform agendas.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/coarassessment

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about CoARA - Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment