The first meeting of the Chairpersons of the Faculty Councils of Experts for Research Development took place on 14 November at the UG Library. The Rector of the University of Gdańsk, prof. dr hab. Piotr Stepnowski, presented the appointments to the chairpersons of the councils and officially inaugurated their four-year term of office, emphasising that the appointment of the councils is a key step in building a culture of scientific excellence at the University of Gdańsk: ‘The independent perspective of experts will allow us to more fully recognise the research potential of the faculties and will be an important support in making decisions that shape the future of the university,’ he noted.
Vice-Rector for Research prof. Wiesław Laskowski presented the rules of operation of the councils and emphasised the importance of their mission. ‘The best research centres in the world draw on the experience of external experts. The introduction of such a solution at the University of Gdańsk allows us to move away from assessments based mainly on quantitative indicators and focus on the actual quality of research and its impact,’ he said. The councils will conduct periodic evaluations of the quality of research activities, analysing the achievements of individual units, their grant activity, international cooperation and the impact of research on the social and economic environment. The evaluations will include faculty reports, visits by experts and interviews with representatives of the units.
The Director of the Research Office, dr Katarzyna Świerk, reminded that the establishment of councils is a key part of the research evaluation system reform implemented under the CoARA initiative. ‘Expert councils are one of the pillars of our project to change the approach to research evaluation. Thanks to them, we can implement European quality standards and build a system that supports the development of researchers, rather than just holding them accountable. This solution allows us to think about the quality of research in a long-term and responsible manner,’ she emphasised.
During the workshop, participants developed uniform rules for preparing faculty reports and discussed the organisation of the first evaluation, which will take place in 2026. The meeting was an important step in the preparations for the implementation of the new system and confirmed the commitment of the entire community to the development of a culture of research quality at the University of Gdańsk.
