R&D Units 2017/2018 evaluation

(available only in Portuguese)

The Draft Regulation on Multi-Year Evaluation and Funding of R&D Units, to be implemented in 2017/2018, is available on the FCT website. The draft is open for public consultation for 30 days, until June 5, following its publication in the Official Gazette (2nd series – No. 79 – April 21, 2017). Comments can be sent to avalunidades@fct.pt.

The evaluation of R&D units aims to develop and enhance the National Scientific and Technological System in all areas of knowledge, strengthening it and increasing its territorial density. R&D units form the basis of the SCTN's organization. They must therefore have sufficient critical mass to fulfill their mission and promote working environments conducive to scientific creativity, talent promotion, and scientific career development.

Institutional diversity is a factor in the development and enrichment of the SCTN, and therefore consideration of different organizational models is encouraged, ensuring the effective use of human resources, technical means, and infrastructure, and reinforcing Portugal's international standing. Thus, according to the proposal presented, existing R&D units may choose to maintain their current composition and organization or to reorganize themselves in the configuration they deem most appropriate.

It is proposed that the assessment of scientific quality and the analysis of the relevance, merit, and timeliness of the activities carried out by R&D units be based on the scientific and technological output of the last five years considered most relevant by the R&D unit, prioritizing quality over quantity without regard to the respective quality. In particular, units will be asked to select information on their most relevant scientific output, rather than submitting exhaustive lists of publications or references to bibliometric indicators.

The proposed regulation takes on board the recommendations set out in relevant international memoranda and documents, such as the San Francisco Statement of the American Society for Cell Biology on the evaluation of research and development activity, dated December 2012, and the Recommendations of the Commission on Professional Self-Regulation in Science of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG), of September 2013, and takes into account the objections to the direct use of bibliometric indicators expressed in the Leiden Manifesto on the use of metrics in scientific evaluation, of April 2015, in order to consolidate within the Portuguese scientific community the understanding that the content of scientific publications and their academic, scientific, social, or economic appropriation is much more important than publication metrics or their assessment based on the entities that published them.

The document now available will be adjusted according to proposals received from the scientific community. Get involved!