The top leaders in research gather as they address today’s pressing issues of the current measuring systems for quality and relevance.
Studies on the effects of evaluation regimes have revealed institutional assessment biases against interdisciplinary work and movements towards less unorthodox, more main-stream, shorter-term projects. These studies also show changes in researchers’ behaviours: the abandonment of risky types of projects and a decreasing quality of submitted articles.
Mechanisms such as reputation, credentials, and social norms nicely align with dominant evaluative metrics, which have developed into prime instruments for research management. These indicators play an increasingly important role in career development and talent management.
There is a growing recognition that managers of knowledge institutions should aim for diversity in the kinds of opportunities they offer to researchers, to improve their prospects both inside and outside academia.
Interdisciplinary collaboration in international networks and consortia based on scientific merits is crucial in scientific development. Quality of research performance, in which talent care, ethical research conduct and scientific integrity are leading principles, is of fundamental importance. Ideally, quality should be derived from the actual impact the research results have on the observed problem.
The conference program guides the audience from evaluation theories (keynote) to examples from different disciplines (elevator pitches), and from proof of quality for policy makers and the public (keynote) to suggestions of young academics (forum discussion). The final presentation focuses on future directions derived from evaluation sciences (keynote). The rector magnificus of the EUR opens the conference, the rector of Leiden will make the closing remarks. There will be ample opportunity for discussion.
Date: 31 January 2017, 13.30-18.00 hrs.
Location: Erasmus University Rotterdam - Venue Forum Room (Van der Goot building)
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Fabian Amtenbrink is full professor of European Union Law at Erasmus University Rotterdam and vice-dean of Erasmus School of Law. He is also Visiting Professor at the College of Europe (Bruges, Belgium, since 2009) and Scientific Director of the European research centre for Economic and Financial Governance (EURO-CEFG). His research interests are: constitutional and institutional issues of the European Union, European Economic and Monetary integration, Legal aspects of central banking, and Financial market regulation.