Poland

Purpose

EJDN – Evaluation of the Quality of Scientific Activity (Ewaluacja Jakości Działalności Naukowej) is a centralised, periodic assessment of research activities in Poland. Conducted approximately every 4–5 years by the Ministry of Higher Education since the 1990s, this evaluation determines core funding and influences certain privileges, such as the rights to confer PhD degrees, for the subsequent four-year period. 

​​Often referred to as parametryzacja (the parametric exercise), the system does not rely on standardised bibliometric indicators such as citation counts, the h-index, or journal impact factors. Instead, it assigns points to various research outputs based on predefined Ministry tables (one for publishers and one for journals). The tables are drawn up in regular intervals by a panel of experts who rely partly on metrics and partly on expert review. The evaluation results feed into the indicator-based system (Algorytm subwencji) responsible for the distribution of ~50% of the total budget for science to higher education and research institutions. In 2024 this was ~18 bn out of 40 bn. 

This algorithm considers factors such as student numbers and tier of institution in the previous EJDN assessment.
National research assessment systems were first introduced in Poland in the early 1990s, but the current format was established by the 2018 Law on Higher Education and implemented for the first time in 2020–2021. The following evaluation is underway in 2025. The key motivations behind the reform included enhancing accountability, fostering competition and increasing societal relevance. Alongside the points-based system, a peer review-based element was introduced in 2020 to evaluate societal impact, similar to the UK’s REF 2014.

Year of Introduction
1990s

Census period
~ 4-5 years

Governance agency(s)
Ministry of Science and Higher Education

Purpose
Funding allocation and reputation

Unit of Assessment
Disciplines across organisations

Focus of Assessment
Scholarly Outputs
Societal Interaction
Competitive grants

Governance

EJDN was organised by the Ministry of Science and Education until 2024 and has been overseen by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education since 2024, following the separation of the Ministry of Education.  

The drafting of the 2018 Law on Higher Education, which laid the foundation for the current EJDN format, was a collaborative effort involving the academic community. The process included three ministry-funded scientific projects aimed at shaping reforms. A pilot study on the societal impact element was conducted after 2021/22.

Participation in EJDN is mandatory.

Operation of the exercise

​​​The scope of the EJDN includes the assessment of scholarly outputs, societal interaction, and competitive grants obtained.

Within the EJDN, the scope and units of assessment primarily focus on units within the organisation, such as a discipline within the institution, university or research institute.

In the EJDN, there are three main assessment dimensions: outputs, financial effects, and societal impact. Peer review is used exclusively for evaluating impact (based on case studies), while outputs and financial effects are assessed through quantitative measures:

  • As per above, outputs are evaluated using a ‘parametric’ approach, which avoids traditional metrics such as citations, h-index, or journal impact factors. Points are assigned to outputs based on predefined tables published by the Ministry. 
  • Financial effects are assessed by counting the amount of external funding secured by academics.
  • Impact is the only dimension evaluated through peer review, similar to the UK’s REF, where experts assess case studies on societal impact.

History, reviews and evaluations

As part of the 2018  reform of law on the sciences in Poland, the EJDN evaluation system underwent significant changes.

  • Redefining the unit of assessment (focus on units within the organization, such as a discipline within the institution, university or research institute)
  • Restructuring the official list of academic disciplines (aligning with the OECD classification of Fields of Science and Technology)
  • Limiting the number of publications submitted per academic (a single researcher can submit a maximum of 4 publications)
  • Introducing societal impact assessment
  • Linking the results of research evaluation with authorisations for awarding academic degrees and running PhD programs
  • Introducing the Publisher list/predefined tables published by the Ministry 

This format was introduced with the Law on Higher Education in 2018 and first run in 2020/2021. 

As of early 2025, the Ministry has announced an overhaul to the evaluation system after the round of assessment planned for 2025.

For more details, see:  Kulczycki, Emanuel; Korytkowski, Przemyslaw (2021). Introducing societal impact evaluation in Poland: the pilot study report. figshare. Preprint. https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16699408.v1 

Last updated: May 2025 

Acknowledgement: Information provided by Marta Wroblewska. Thanks to Emanuel Kulczycki for providing further input.

Purpose

The algorithm is an indicator oriented performance-based funding system in Poland. It is largely a summative assessment model that informs the distribution of ~50% of the total budget for science to higher education and research institutions. In 2024, this was ~18 bn out of 40 bn.

It considers student and PhD candidate numbers, staff numbers, internationalisation and the tier of institutions in the previous National Evaluation of the Quality of Scientific Activity (EJDN) assessment. 

The algorithm has implications for both the funding and the reputation of higher education and research institutions.

Year of Introduction
1991

Census period
Annual

Governance agency(s)
Ministry of Science and Higher Education

Purpose
Accountability
Funding allocation

Unit of Assessment
The organisation as a whole
Disciplines across organisations

Focus of Assessment
Scholarly Outputs
Other – student and PhD candidate numbers, staff numbers, internationalisation and the tier of institutions in the previous National Evaluation of the Quality of Scientific Activity (EJDN) assessment

Governance

The Algorithm is administered by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education and allocates funds to all public higher education and research institutions.

Operation of the exercise

The focus of the Algorithm includes scholarly outputs, competitive grants, student and PhD candidate numbers, staff numbers, internationalisation and the tier of institutions in the previous National Evaluation of the Quality of Scientific Activity (EJDN) assessment.

Within the Algorithm system, the scope and units of assessment is the institution as a whole, but disciplines (research areas evaluated via EJDN) are parameters for the algorithm too. system, the scope and units of assessment is the institution as a whole.

The funding allocation criteria applied in the Algorithm are indicator-based and focus on various aspects of institutional performance. The algorithm for allocating funding to public university-type higher education institutions is based on 7 key criteria:

  • Students: number of full-time students, cost indices of different fields of study, and student-to-staff ratios
  • Doctoral Students: number of doctoral students in doctoral schools
  • Staff: average number of academic staff (weighted by position) and the number of non-Polish staff teaching at the institution
  • Internationalisation: number of students and doctoral students participating in international exchanges
  • Research Activity: number of disciplines in which a given HEI has been awarded above a C grade in the previous National Evaluation of the Quality of Scientific Activity (EJDN) assessment (EJDN); cost indices, and number of staff involved in research
  • Research and Development (R&D): internal R&D expenditure
  • Projects: number of national and international research projects, with higher weightings for international projects, especially those funded under the Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe.

History, reviews and evaluations

In 2017, the government introduced a new algorithm for allocating core funding to academic institutions, with key elements including the student-staff ratio (SSR), which ties funding to the number of students per academic staff member to promote better student access to faculty, and scientific categories that reward institutions with higher-quality research. In 2019, the system transitioned from multiple targeted grants to a single block grant (subwencja), providing universities with greater flexibility in managing their resources. 

Last updated: May 2025 

Acknowledgement: Information provided by Marta Wroblewska. Thanks to Emanuel Kulczycki for providing further input.

Purpose

The Excellence Initiative – Research University (IDUB) program is one of the key initiatives introduced by the Polish government aiming to support and enhance the research performance of top Polish universities. 

In 2019, the Ministry of Science and Higher Education launched the first competition under this programme. The IDUB program has significant implications for both the reputation and funding of participating institutions. In its first year, 10 universities were selected from 20 eligible institutions, and each received a subsidy increase of 10% for the years 2020–2026 to implement development plans outlined in their applications. The remaining universities received a 2% funding increase until the next competition round.

A mid-term review of the initiative was conducted in 2023 by an appointed international expert panel (see below).  As a result, all 10 universities received a positive assessment and were allowed to continue in the program.

The final assessment of the IDUB program will take place in 2026. Based on the results, some of the selected institutions may be eligible for funding extensions through 2032. However, at least two with the lowest rankings or a negative assessment will lose funding and be replaced by winners of the next competition, which will also be open to those not funded in the first round.

Year of Introduction
2019

Census period
Midterm evaluation in 2023, Final assessment in 2026

Governance agency(s)
Ministry of Science and Higher Education

Purpose
Funding Allocation and Reputation
Organisational Learning and Strategic Development

Unit of Assessment
The organisation as a whole
Disciplines across organisations 

Focus of Assessment
Scholarly Outputs
Scientific Impact
Organisational Performance

Governance

The Polish Excellence Initiative – Research University (IDUB) program is administered by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education.

Participation in the IDUB program is highly incentivised. Consequently, universities are motivated to participate in order to strengthen their reputation and secure additional funding. Universities selected through the initiative must undergo midterm and final evaluations to be eligible for funding extensions through 2032.

Operation of the exercise


The IDUB program primarily focuses on the assessment of scholarly outputs, scientific impact and organisational performance, with all participating institutions meeting strict conditions related to the quality of scientific research, the diversification of activities and their potential development plans.

Within the IDUB, the scope and units of assessment encompass both the institutions as a whole and the disciplines within the institution.

Institutions selected under the IDUB program are subject to summative midterm and final ex-post assessments, which involve an informed peer review by an international expert panel. This process includes self-assessment reports from participating universities and site visits. 

For the mid-term review, panel reviewed self-assessment reports from the 10 participating universities and the panel conducted site visits, interviewing researchers, academic staff, and university management. 

Each selected university reports on the indicators specified in its application, including mandatory indicators and the optional ones chosen by the universities.

These indicators are as follows:

Mandatory Indicators:

  • Indicator 1: Percentage of scientific articles in the top decile (U and P) – according to the indicated database
  • Indicator 2: Normalized citation index (U and P) – according to the indicated database
  • Indicator 3: Percentage of scientific articles in international collaboration (P) – according to the indicated database
  • Indicator 4: Scholarly monographs in prestigious publishing houses (P)
  • Indicator 5: International grants (P)
  • Indicator 6: Openness of personnel policy (U)
  • Indicator 7: Ratio of student numbers to academic staff numbers (U)

Optional Indicators:

  • Indicator 1: Normalized citation index for scientific articles in international collaboration (P) – according to the indicated database
  • Indicator 2: Seal of excellence (P)
  • Indicator 3: Centers of excellence (U)
  • Indicator 4: Internationalization of staff (U)
  • Indicator 5: Percentage of doctoral degrees awarded to foreigners (U and P)
  • Indicator 6: Internationalization of doctoral students (U)
  • Indicator 7: Number of scientific articles by doctoral students published in journals in the top quartile in terms of citation counts to number of doctoral students – according to the indicated database
  • Indicator 8: Internationalization of studies (U)
  • Indicator 9: Number of inventions patented abroad (U)
  • Indicator 10: Number of implementations (U)
  • Indicator 11: Revenues from commercialization (U)
  • Indicator 12: Foreign accreditations (U)
  • Indicator 13: Publications in peer-reviewed materials from international conferences (P)

*U denotes an indicator for the entire university, whereas P denotes an indicator for each priority research area (POB).

*Indicator 13 applies to priority research areas related to the scientific disciplines “computer science” or “technical informatics and telecommunications”.



History, reviews and evaluations

A mid-term review of the initiative was conducted in 2023, and the final assessment will be carried out in 2026. After this assessment, based on the results, some universities will have the opportunity to extend their funding for the following years (2027–2032).

Last updated: May 2025 

Acknowledgement: Information provided by Nino Gogadze and Emanuel Kulczycki.

Poland

Number of Systems
3
Name of System(s)
Evaluation of the Quality of Scientific Activity (EJDN)
Algorithm
Research University Program (IDUB)
Back to map view

Subscribe on Substack

We publish timely essays, reflections and signals from across metascience, research policy and reform. Expect original thinking, reactions to live debates, and practical insights from people studying research.