Guide for Research Assessments

What is the Guide for Research Assessments for Universities of Applied Sciences?

Since 2007, universities of applied sciences in the Netherlands have been responsible for the quality assurance of their applied research themselves. It has been agreed, at the national level, that external assessment committees should periodically assess the quality of research and quality assurance. The frameworks for external assessments are set out in the Dutch Sector Protocol for Quality Assurance in Research 2016-2022 (Brancheprotocol Kwaliteitszorg Onderzoek, BKO).

According to the BKO, all research units at universities of applied sciences must be assessed once every six years. Universities of applied sciences organise these assessment procedures themselves. The Dutch Research Quality Assessment Committee (Commissie Evaluatie Kwaliteit Onderzoek, CEKO) monitors whether assessments of the individual research units of universities of applied sciences are carried out in accordance with the BKO and whether the universities act on the recommendations arising from the assessments.

The guide is intended to facilitate the process for research units by listing a number of key issues. It is, of course, up to the research unit itself to determine the exact details of the assessment process.

How to use the guide
The guide can be used during the assessment process, which aims to assess current research quality and improve future research quality. The guide describes the outline of the assessment process and contains information about:

• who is involved in a BKO assessment;
• the required composition of an assessment committee, communication with the committee, committee tasks and frameworks for compensation of committee members;
• tips on writing the critical reflection;
• tips on how the research unit can organise the assessment procedure;
• a roadmap with which the research unit can schedule organisation of the accreditation process.

And finally, it describes how the research unit can proceed with the recommendations from the assessment report after the assessment.

What is the origin of the Guide for Research Assessments at Universities of Applied Sciences?
The guide was prepared by Avans University of Applied Sciences. In cooperation with the Association of Universities of Applied Sciences and the Dutch Network for Research Quality Assurance (Landelijk Netwerk Kwaliteitszorg Onderzoek, LNKO), a general and widely usable version of the guide was produced. The guide is intended to support research units in preparing and conducting research assessment procedures.

For more information, please contact: Desiree van den Bogaard (Avans).

PS. Meanwhile, for the new BKO (2023 – 2028), a guide to research assessments is also available from the Association of Universities of Applied Sciences.