Research assessment plays a crucial role in research systems, but current practices prioritize quantitative metrics and publications without recognising the diversity of research outputs or open science practices. To address these issues, international initiatives have emerged, and the EU European Research Area Policy Agenda for 2022-2024 includes a specific action (Action 3) on Reform the Assessment System for research, researchers and institutions. In 2022, the EC, Science Europe, and the European University Association facilitated the development of the Agreement on Reforming Research Assessment, which emphasises qualitative evaluation based on peer review and responsible use of quantitative indicators, and discourages the use of inappropriate metrics and rankings. 423 organisations signatories to agreement decided to constitute the Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA) to make progress on ten commitments within a five-year timeframe. As an enabler deeply rooted in the CoARA structure, the CoARA Boost project will strengthen the ramp-up of CoARA, enhancing the operational capacity and providing means to investigate and implement new models for research assessment. By amplifying its spectrum of actions and providing the additional capacity to implement a Cascade funding programme, CoARA Boost will allow to develop a critical mass for reforming research assessment, generate gravitas for new members and facilitate the leveraging of additional sources of funding. The overarching objective of the CoARA Boost Project is to contribute to enabling systemic reform of research assessment following the principles and commitments of the Agreement on Reforming Research Assessment. CoARA Boost will i) strengthen CoARA’s operational capacity, ii) catalyse knowledge development, policy evolution and institutional change in research assessment, iii) facilitate collection and exchange of information and iv) widen the Coalition’s membership in Europe and beyond.

The SECURE2 project aims to pilot and implement recommendations from the European Framework for Research Careers (RCF) to improve research career progression and mobility within research-performing organizations (RPOs) and research-funding organizations (RFOs). This project builds on the previous SECURE project and expands its scope to a four-year duration, allowing a more extensive and impactful implementation of RCF recommendations. SECURE2 will provide a 2+-year trail within the 4-year project, to effectively implement the more difficult and time-intensive actions and recommendations. The overarching Aim of SECURE2 is to: • Build upon the completed ERA50 project SECURE, using SECURE expert partners and the pilot RPOs and RFOs experience in implementing Action Plans (APs) for institutional change. • Use and adapt best practice tools from the SECURE project, in particular, the ‘RCF Actions selection’ tool as the basis of guiding the pilots to select their interventions. • Foster the development of ecosystems for research positions by promoting collaboration between researchers, research managers, and administrators, facilitating active participation from all stakeholders, and ensuring that the co-design, implementation, and evaluation of the RCF are rooted in the practical needs of both academic and non-academic sectors. SECURE2 employs a three-tiered approach to ensure representation and consensus building of key stakeholder groups in the research and innovation ecosystem: (1) large consortium ensuring expert partners (2) open consultations with the stakeholder community to co-design and validate key project outcomes (3) advisory board of key representatives to ensure independent expert oversight and connection to policymakers.

The overall project aim is to bring RRI into the linked up global world to promote mutual learning and collaboration in RRI. This will be achieved by the formation of the global RRING community network and by the development and mobilisation of a global Open Access RRI knowledge base. RRING will align RRI to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a global common denominator. The RRING project acknowledges that each region of the world is advancing its own agenda on RRI. Therefore, RRING will not be producing a Global RRI framework or strategy that is meant to be enforced in a top-down manner. Rather, increased coherence and convergence will be achieved via a bottom-up approach, learning from best practices in RRI globally and from linkages, via the new RRING community, to develop the RRI linked-up world. Six Objectives of RRING Objective 1: Promote a linked up global world of RRI by creating the global RRING community network, thereby enabling mutual learning, collaboration, mobilisation of RRI concepts. Objective 2: Mobilise, promote and disseminate a global open access knowledge base of RRI based on the State of the Art (SoA) and comparative analysis across the key geographies, all stakeholders and sectors. It will cover key platforms, spaces and players, role and influence of stakeholders, drivers and policies for R&I, regulation in public,private sectors and nation states and international organizations. Objective 3: Align RRI to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to provide a global common denominator for advancement of RRI, and address Grand Challenges globally. Objective 4: Determine the competitive advantages of RRI and also understand how and where RRI is perceived as a barrier and/ or disadvantage. Objective 5: Create high level RRI strategy recommendations for the seven geographic zones, trial RRI best practice learning in 2 EU case studies Objective 6: Promote inclusive engagement of civil society and researchers

The EURAXIND project is led by CRAC-VITAE with 6 partners (all Bridgehead Organisations) and 7 Third Parties from across Europe. EURAXIND addresses 2 key ERA priorities (1) creating ‘an open labour market for researchers’ and (2) ‘the optimal circulation of, access to, and transfer of scientific knowledge’, by increasing employer engagement with the EURAXESS network and Career Development Centres. It will do this by: identifying researchers and employers needs to support intersectoral mobility and collaboration; providing targeted online tools and resources to support institutional outreach and engagement with employers; creation of an Industry Career Development Module to encourage researchers within academia to consider research careers in other sectors; and increasing industry participation in EURAXESS services (particularly the jobs portal), by developing a targeted Employer Engagement Toolkit for EURAXESS Service Centres. The objectives of the project will be pursued over a 24 month period. Core activities will include employer, researcher and institutional literature reviews and surveys to identify various stakeholder needs; development of an industry engagement strategy and 14 dissemination workshops for employers (7) and institutions (7). These will feed into the development of the two principal outcomes: the Employer Engagement Toolkit and Industry Career Development Module. All these activities build on relevant current and previous European projects including EURAXESS Top I, II , III, REFLEX and PIPERS. EURAXIND focuses on enabling partner organisations, and the EURAXESS network more generally, to engage more with business, provide opportunities for collaborations and build strategic partnerships. It will promote the recruitment of highly skilled researchers who can engage with businesses, and are able to promote their skills to them. In this way EURAXIND will make a long term contribution to ERA priorities and Europe's economic prosperity.