Shaping next-generation research assessment

From 29 June to 1 July 2026, the Research on Research Institute (RoRI) in partnership with the University of Cambridge’s Centre for Science and Policy (CSaP) hosted a landmark three-day summit at Jesus College, Cambridge. Titled “A roadmap for augmented assessment: Data, dashboards & design for next-generation national systems,” the gathering served as a unique platform for the “assessment architects” of national systems spanning 11 countries across three continents: Australia, China, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Romania, Slovakia, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.

The summit kicked off with lightning talks exploring the evolving dynamics, pressures, and motivations for reform across different national frameworks. A key highlight of the opening day was an evening address by Dr. Ben Steyn, Co-Head of the UK Metascience Unit. He shared insights into their recent ‘novelty indicators challenge’ and highlighted the ongoing, experimental work being done to pilot AI-augmented models of funding and evaluation.

Over the three days, collaborative sessions focused on shifting publication modes, open data infrastructure, and next-generation indicators. Participants agreed to advance five post-summit modules:

• Establishing a learning network, building collective knowledge and practice around augmented assessment
• Monitoring generative and agentic AI by tracking AI diffusion through assessment systems, national experiments and initiatives
• Developing quality criteria for publication channels, including peer review practices and other innovative alternatives to traditional publication models 
• Advancing shared open research information principles and agendas 
• Developing an Augmented Assessment indicators ‘recipe book’, an evolving resource on which indicators are most useful, in which contexts, and how to implement them

Looking ahead, the insights from the summit will be synthesised over the summer into a RoRI Working Paper. Ultimately, the summit provided an invaluable opportunity to connect, successfully laying the groundwork for the network and ensuring the evolution of research assessment remains a truly collaborative global effort.