Research Assessment
The University of Fribourg promotes fair and responsible research assessment, aligned with international best practices.
As a publicly funded university, the University of Fribourg is committed to research that advances knowledge and benefits society. Responsible research assessment supports this mission by ensuring that evaluation practices are fair, transparent, and appropriate to the assessment's purpose.
Evaluation methods should reflect what is being assessed and the level at which it is assessed, whether institutional, departmental, or individual.
Research Assessment at the University of Fribourg
At Unifr, individual researchers are notably assessed in the context of professor recruitment, tenure-track evaluations, titular professorship procedures, and promotions.
While these situations are regulated by a university-wide framework, faculties and departments retain a high degree of autonomy, reflecting the principle that research communities are best placed to evaluate the work of their peers.
-
University-wide framework
All faculties must follow a common procedure for recruiting professors. Before a position is advertised, the faculty defines the academic profile and strategic needs of the position. Candidates are then evaluated by an Appointment Commission that includes professors, external experts, and representatives of the university community.
Research achievements are assessed together with teaching, academic service, leadership, and the contribution of the candidate to the university's missions. Promotion of ordinary professors similarly relies on a holistic evaluation rather than a purely metric-based assessment.
-
Faculty of Theology
Research assessment is conducted within the university-wide framework for professorial appointments and career development. Candidates are evaluated through peer review and faculty-level procedures, with disciplinary input provided by the faculty's departments.In accordance with its ecclesiastical status, certain appointments also require church approval regarding doctrinal suitability, while responsibility for the scientific quality of research and teaching remains with the university's academic bodies.
-
Faculty of Law
Research assessment is conducted within the university-wide framework for professorial recruitment and career development. The Faculty emphasizes peer evaluation and disciplinary expertise through its departments, faculty bodies, and appointment procedures.
-
Faculty of Management, Economics and Social Sciences
Research assessment is conducted within the university-wide framework for professorial recruitment and career development. The Faculty combines peer evaluation with disciplinary expertise provided by its departments and appointment committees.Professor appointments are decided through faculty procedures that include external experts.
-
Faculty of Humanities
Research assessment is conducted through peer review and expert evaluation within the university-wide framework for recruitment and promotion.The Faculty's appointment and promotion procedures involve disciplinary expertise, external reviewers, and holistic assessment of achievements in research, teaching, supervision, academic service, and leadership.In promotion procedures, research outputs are assessed according to disciplinary standards and in line with the principles of the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA), while contributions to early-career researcher development, academic citizenship, and service to the scholarly community are also explicitly recognised.
-
Faculty of Science and Medicine
Research assessment is conducted within the university-wide framework for professorial recruitment and career development.The Faculty combines peer review, disciplinary expertise, and external evaluation through appointment and nomination procedures.Appointment and nomination commissions for professorial positions include external experts, ensuring independent disciplinary assessment of academic achievements.
-
Faculty of Education
Research assessment is conducted within the university-wide framework for professorial recruitment and career development.The Faculty combines peer review and disciplinary expertise through departmental, faculty, and appointment procedures. Particular emphasis is placed on research quality, support for early-career researchers, knowledge transfer, and scientific development.A dedicated Research and Early-Career Researcher Development Commission advises the Faculty on measures to support research quality and academic career development across the Faculty.
International commitments: DORA and CoARA
Unifr is committed to aligning its practices with international standards and current evidence on responsible research assessment. It is a signatory of the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA). It has also signed the Agreement on Reforming Research Assessment (ARRA) and, as such, is a member of the Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA).
Both initiatives promote research assessment based on quality rather than quantity. They also discourage the inappropriate use of metrics such as Journal Impact Factors or the H-index, particularly when assessing individual researchers.
CoARA places particular emphasis on:
- recognising diverse research contributions and career paths
- respecting disciplinary differences
- reducing reliance on rankings in individual assessment
- integrating Open Science practices
- promoting quality, impact, inclusiveness, and collaboration
CoARA also recognises institutional autonomy, allowing each organisation to define its own path towards responsible research assessment.
Implementation at Unifr
University-wide
Unifr has published its CoARA Action Plan to guide the development of responsible research assessment practices across the university.
A dedicated CoARA Working Group has been established to support this process. The group brings together researchers from all faculties, along with representatives of key central services, and is responsible for designing and implementing the action plan over the coming years.
The Working Group has drafted a document that interprets the ARRA commitments in the institutional context of Unifr. This document is expected to be published in 2026.
Faculty-specific
At Unifr, faculties retain a large degree of autonomy in the recruitment or promotion of academic staff. The sections below present information reported by the faculties regarding initiatives in this area.
The information is based on a survey conducted in July 2026 among faculty representatives participating in the Unifr CoARA Working Group or the deans of the respective faculties.
-
Faculty of Theology
The Faculty reports that no recruitment or promotion reforms are currently underway. While existing processes have recently been clarified, no substantial changes have been introduced.
A revision of the habilitation regulations is planned from 2028 onwards.
Current recruitment and promotion practices are considered aligned with DORA and the ARRA.
-
Faculty of Law
The Faculty reports that new habilitation regulations have recently been adopted, including the possibility of an habilitation by articles. Guidelines for implementing these regulations are currently being developed.
A reform of the doctoral programme is under consideration and has already been discussed by the Faculty Council.
The Faculty reports that its recruitment and promotion practices follow the general university regulations regarding DORA and the ARRA.
-
Faculty of Management, Economics and Social Science
The Faculty reports that no recruitment or promotion reforms are currently underway or planned.
The Faculty considers that its promotion procedures for tenure-track assistant professors follow the general university regulations regarding DORA and the ARRA.
-
Faculty of Humanities
The Faculty reports that no recruitment or promotion reforms are currently underway or planned.
The Faculty considers that its promotion procedures for tenure-track assistant professors follow the general university regulations regarding DORA and the ARRA.
-
Faculty of Science and Medicine - Medicine Section
No survey response was received.
-
Faculty of Science and Medicine - Science Section
The Faculty reports that no recruitment or promotion reforms are currently underway or planned.
The Faculty reports that its recruitment and promotion practices follow the general university regulations regarding DORA and the ARRA.
-
Faculty of Education
The Faculty reports that no recruitment or promotion reforms are currently underway or planned, as its legal framework was established in 2025.
Current recruitment and promotion practices are considered aligned with DORA and the ARRA.
Links
CoARA Action Plan of the University of Fribourg
News: Research Assessment Practice at Unifr