Responsible research assessment reform in Europe: Where does Georgia stand?

Abstract

The study explores the implementation of the CoARA agreement in a non-EU, post-Soviet context and presents the current state of research assessment external policies and challenges faced by Georgian signatories to the CoARA agreement. The purpose of this study was twofold: firstly, to explore the implementation of the CoARA agreement in Georgia; and secondly, to evaluate Georgia's position within the ongoing responsible research assessment reform in Europe, while also offering future prospects for adapting the CoARA agreement to Georgia’s context.

To achieve these research objectives, a qualitative multiple case study design was employed. Georgia and Austria were selected for their distinct perspectives: Georgia offers insights from a non-EU, post-Soviet context, while Austria represents the EU context. The study used two different data collection methods: desk research for secondary data and semi-structured interviews for primary data collection. The documents analyzed during the desk research included legislation, strategic and policy documents, as well as institutional policies from the National Center for Educational Quality Enhancement and the Shota Rustaveli National Science Foundation of Georgia. The second phase of the research involved interviews with representatives from signatory organisations of the CoARA agreement and other relevant stakeholders engaged in research assessment in Georgia and Austria.

The findings of the study indicate that the state of research assessment in Georgia reflects a mixed landscape of progress and challenges. While discussions around research assessment are prevalent, Georgia is in the early stages of responsible research assessment reform compared to developments in Europe, particularly in Austria.