National evaluations of the results of research

The Swedish Research Council’s evaluation model focuses on the results of research. The model involves minimising the efforts of higher education institutions (HEIs), and is designed so that the evaluations complement other initiatives aimed at developing Swedish research.

The results of our national evaluations shall be able to be used to motivate different actors – HEIs, the Government and funding bodies – to take initiatives to improve the quality of Swedish research. We expect to conduct one to two evaluations per year.

The pilot evaluation, which we carried out in 2020–2021, covered political science, and concerned 14 HEIs. The result of this evaluation has been published in the report Quality and impact of research in political science in Sweden. A pilot evaluation.

The evaluation model

The evaluation is intended to give a national picture of the quality and importance (societal impact) of the research area. The evaluation is made from an international perspective, using an international panel of experts.

1. The Swedish Research Council and HEIs develop documentation

The Swedish Research Council will produce the following documentation for evaluating the quality of research:

• Publications for reading
• Publication lists
• Bibliometrics (where possible)

The HEIs, in turn, will produce case studies for evaluating the impact of research. The case studies shall be good and educational examples for development and learning.

The Swedish Research Council will also produce quantitative data on personnel.

2. An expert panel assesses the research on a five-degree scale

A panel with international experts will make an assessment of the quality and impact of the research on a five-degree scale. They will comment on the outcome at national level, highlight particular characteristics, and propose possible measures for further development of the quality and impact of the research.

The panel will write a report, to be published on vr.se.