Who Defines Research Impact?
Oct 15 @ 12:30 pm - 2:00 pm EDT
This panel convenes leaders from academia, policy, and research administration to address a central question in Canadian higher education: what counts as meaningful research performance, and who defines it? Metrics, rankings, and funding outcomes are extensively used as proxies for quality. Yet evaluation systems do more than measure performance; they shape research agendas, career trajectories, funding decisions, and institutional priorities.
Formal assessment frameworks establish expectations, while informal practices influence how those expectations are interpreted and applied. Panelists will examine how these systems distribute recognition, opportunity, and resources, and how they affect equity, researcher well-being, curiosity-driven inquiry, interdisciplinary collaboration, and the broader public value of research.
Tim Evans will moderate a discussion to explore practical alternatives that align evaluation with diverse forms of research contribution while maintaining rigor, accountability, and public trust.
The discussions will be illuminated by panelists with diverse expertise and experience including research policy, global reform initiatives like DORA, funding systems, and community‑engaged research. This range allows a direct examination of how concepts like excellence, impact, knowledge mobilization, return on investment, viz. valorisation, are defined and operationalized in practice. The session invites a candid exchange on how research assessment can evolve to better recognize diverse forms of excellence, support healthy research cultures, and strengthen the contribution of research as a public good in Canada.
