CoARA National Chapter United Kingdom
CoARA National Chapter United Kingdom
National Chapter's Objectives
The UK CoARA National Chapter brings together organisations to drive real change in how research is assessed in the UK. Launched in February 2024, and co-led by the University of Strathclyde, Swansea University, Loughborough University and the University of Bristol, we’re a growing community committed to putting the principles of the Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA) into action.
Whether you’ve already a CoARA signatory or are just exploring what it means, the Chapter offers a practical space to reflect, share and shape reform that works for your context. We also advocate for responsible research assessment at the national level and ensure that UK perspectives are represented in discussions across the international CoARA community.
Our Objectives
The UK National Chapter is focused on two main objectives:
- Facilitating meaningful change:
- Supporting member and signatory organisations to develop and implement action plans that reflect their ambitions for reform.
- Promoting systemic reform:
- Engaging with non-member organisations to raise awareness of CoARA and help them consider joining or aligning with its principles.
As membership grows, the Chapter may expand its role—such as supporting the development of a renewed UK Forum for Responsible Research Assessment, as recommended in Harnessing the Metric Tide.
Latest News
Updated on 18 December 2025
More UK organisations signed the CoARA agreement
The UK CoARA community continues to grow! The University of Manchester, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool Hope University, University of the West of Scotland, University of Chester, and Robert Gordon University have recently signed the CoARA agreement, demonstrating their commitment to reform in research assessment.
Action Plans taking shape
The Society of Research Software Engineering has launched its Action Plan, joining other UK CoARA members whose plans are available this webpage.
Recent Events
On 1 December, the UK steering group convened to reflect on two years of the National Chapter: what works well, areas for improvement and next steps. The meeting had an Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) focus. Presentations covered equality, diversity and inclusion in responsible research assessment, linguistic equity and multilingualism, and inclusive assessments in practice.
The UK National Chapter's first hybrid Open Meeting was held in London on 3 September 2025, at the Welcome Trust: 'Moving Principles into Practice Together'. The slides and recording from the meeting can be found on Zenodo: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17086700.
Stay up to date!
For the latest UK National Chapter news join the mailing list or follow on LinkedIn.
Recent Meetings
Updated 29 October 2025
Save the date for the next National Chapter steering meeting, which will take place online:
- 1 December 2025, 10:00am-12:00pm
- Click here to register for the meeting!
We hold quarterly meetings open to anyone interested in responsible research assessment and driving change within their organisation. Our open meetings are open to all, whether you’re a signatory of CoARA or not. They are typically followed by chapter-only sessions to discuss chapter business, which all representatives from National Chapter member organisations are encouraged to attend.
Keep up to date and engage with us
Get the latest news and updates about events, resources and opportunities by connecting with the UK National Chapter.
Resources
UK National Chapter Full Proposal
UK CoARA National Chapter Advice on REF 2029 Codes of Practice
UK CoARA National Chapter mythbusting
What does signing CoARA mean for me?
Moving Principles into Practice, Together
UK CoARA National Chapter Meeting 3rd September
Latest Action Plans
Please see the links below to read the latest co-lead CoARA Action Plans from the UK:
Swansea University
University of Strathclyde
Loughborough
Loughborough
University of Warwick
University of Reading
University of Central Lancashire
University of Edinburgh
Affiliated organisations
- Brunel University London
- CRAC-Vitae (UK-based global member)
- City, University of London
- Goldsmiths College, University of London
- Health Data Research UK
- Health Sciences University
- Jisc
- John Innes Centre
- Loughborough University
- Manchester Metropolitan University
- Nottingham Trent University
- Queen Mary University of London
- Research on Research Institute (RoRI; UK-based global member)
- Society of Spanish Researchers in the United Kingdom (SRUK/CERU)
- Software Sustainability Institute
- Swansea University
- The Association of Research Managers and Administrators (ARMA UK)
- UK Reproducibility Network (UKRN)
- University of Bristol
- University of Central Lancashire
- University of Derby
- University of Edinburgh
- University of Hertfordshire
- University of Manchester
- University of Reading
- University of Suffolk
- University of Strathclyde
- University of Warwick
Join the Chapter!
Interested in joining the National Chapter?
Do you have any questions?
Please contact:
Grace Murkett
University of Strathclyde
Stuart King
Loughborough
Anna Seager
Swansea University
Helen Young
University of Bristol
Previous Activities
Updated 23 July 2025
- UK CoARA National Chapter Meeting – 4th June 2025
Our second open meeting of the year focused on enabling and making the case for reform. Swansea University shared a case study on the institutional value of CoARA, and the University of Suffolk presented on increasing capacity for responsible research assessment.
- REF 2029 Codes of Practice – Advice from the UK Chapter – 20th June 2025
This community drop-in session looked at how responsible research assessment principles can inform REF 2029 Codes of Practice. Over 120 people joined the discussion. The recording, slides and summary notes are available here: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15727735