By Kathrine Bjerg Bennike, Poul Meier Melchiorsen, David Budtz Pedersen and Josephine Bøgen Theilgaard, the conference project team at Aalborg University

The journey of the Danish CoARA network began with a CoARA symposium hosted by Aalborg University in autumn 2023, followed by two meetings in 2024 one for Danish foundations and one for Danish universities. The outcome of the meetings and symposium led to the formation of a Danish CoARA network. Independent Research Fund Denmark, the Villum Foundation, and Aalborg University are the driving forces behind the network, with active participation from most Danish universities and several major foundations. 

Ahead of the September meeting, a working group—including representatives from Independent Research Fund Denmark, Villum Foundation, Aalborg University, IT University of Copenhagen, and University of Southern Denmark—prepared a draft application for the establishment of a Danish CoARA national chapter. This draft was presented at the meeting, with the hope that it will be further refined and ultimately adopted. In addition, Professor David Budtz Pedersen gave insights to the current state on reform processes in Europe and highlighted the EU Presidency Conference in December 2025, as a place to further these discussions and engage in the continued and critical work on reforming assessment.  

Throughout network’s meetings, participants have addressed a range of important topics, including:

• The use of narrative CVs
• Young researchers’ experiences of research environments
• Talent management
• Standardization of requirements for researchers’ documentation for foundations
• And, of course, the question of whether to establish a Danish national CoARA chapter

These discussions reflect a strong commitment to fostering a more responsible, transparent, and diverse approach to research assessment in Denmark. As the network continues to evolve, we look forward to furthering collaboration and to supporting each other in this important transformation.

For more information contact Poul Meier Melchiorsen at pmm@aub.aau.dk