RDA · Pacing the way towards a systematic uptake of emerging reformative approaches to RTD assessment across the EU research ecosystem

The RDA project aims to catalyze a systematic and sustained uptake of responsible research assessment reforms across the European Research Area. At its core, RDA seeks to generate broad awareness, institutional engagement, and capacity building in support of emerging frameworks that promote fair, qualitative, and impact-driven evaluation practices. As a baseline, RDA aligns itself with key global and European reform frameworks, including: The Agreement on Reforming Research Assessment (2022), the work of the Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA), and the globally endorsed San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA).Building on these foundational principles, the project will deliver a set of support and coordination activities aiming at empowering institutions and stakeholders to align their assessment systems with next-generation evaluation standards. Included in this effort is the development of an indicator-based maturity model, supported by self-assessment instruments, participatory roadmapping, and targeted capacity-building measures. RDA will engage with a broad spectrum of actors, including universities, research funders, policymakers, and early-career researchers to: foster informed commitment and signatory growth to initiatives such as CoARA and DORA; enable structured, context-sensitive pathways for reform adoption and support the integration of responsible, inclusive, and sustainability-aware evaluation practices. RDA wishes to contribute towards creating a research culture in Europe where skills are better matched, diverse contributions are valued, and assessment systems align with societal and environmental goals. Through open access tools, peer-learning mechanisms, and policy-relevant insights, RDA will contribute directly to the ERA Policy Agenda and broader EU goals for a modern, inclusive, and excellence-driven research ecosystem.