SFU Hosts Austrian CoARA Follow-up Meeting in Vienna
Following a successful CoARA Co-Chairs Meeting held in Graz on 13–14 November 2024, there was clear interest among Austrian institutions in continuing and further structuring the exchange on the implementation of the Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA). The meeting in Graz provided an important first opportunity for dialogue and for the presentation of concrete projects related to research assessment reform.
As a next step, a follow-up meeting took place on Friday, 9 January 2026, at the Sigmund Freud Private University (SFU) in Vienna, which hosted the event and provided the framework for continuing the national discussion on CoARA.
The meeting opened with welcome remarks by Vice-Rector Marion Garaus, followed by a presentation of the SFU project “CoARAverse in Psychology” presented by Vice Dean for Research Nora Ruck, which showcased approaches to implementing CoARA principles in the field of psychology. A subsequent round of introductions allowed participants to present their institutions and perspectives.
The agenda focused on several key topics:
- a wrap-up of the CoARA Co-Chairs Meeting,
- updates on the current status of CoARA and ARA in Austria,
- discussions on criteria within OSA and on teaching in the context of CoARA,
- and a joint exchange on ideas for future collaboration in Austria.
The meeting brought together representatives from a broad range of Austrian universities, universities of applied sciences, research organizations, and funding bodies, including the University of Graz, BOKU University, University of Innsbruck, FH St. Pölten, Joanneum Research, Ludwig Boltzmann Society, the Austrian Science Fund (FWF), the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW), ISTA, and the Sigmund Freud Private University.
By hosting this follow-up meeting, SFU underscores its commitment to the ongoing development of responsible, transparent, and quality-oriented research assessment practices and its active role within the Austrian CoARA process.
Funded by the European Union. The views and opinions expressed in the content are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Commission. Neither the European Union nor the funding body can be held responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained therein. This project has received funding from the CoARA Boost programme under grant agreement No 101131826.