Discipline evaluations

The Academy of Finland conducts, coordinates and commissions evaluations of research with a view to improving both its performance and the quality and impact of Finnish science and research. The results of these evaluations are put to extensive use in various development projects. Research evaluations and assessments tie in closely with foresighting.

Figure: Evaluation activities of the Academy of Finland

The Academy’s evaluation activities are focused on the national research system (A), its own organisation (B), and on its own actions and processes (C). The results of evaluations are usually published in the Academy’s publication series. Another important area of evaluation is the review of funding applications. Each year, more than 4,000 applications are reviewed for quality by outside, usually foreign experts. These reviews have a major influence on the Academy’s decision-making on research funding.

The Academy is charged with the task of periodically reviewing the state and quality of scientific research in Finland. These reviews are conducted once every three years, at the end of the term of the Academy’s Research Councils. The purpose is to give a comprehensive overview of the Finnish research system and to prepare recommendations for future development. In addition, individual disciplines and fields of research are assessed separately if and as necessary. The outcomes of these assessments have a major impact on the appreciation and development of the field concerned.

Outside evaluations are commissioned at regular intervals of the Academy’s own operation and organisation. These evaluations are also used for development purposes. Organisational evaluations can also be focused on specifically identified areas, such as the assessment of the impact of Academy research funding.

Evaluations may also be conducted of strategically key areas of the Academy’s operation. For example, the attainment of the objectives set out for research programmes is monitored both during the course of these programmes and upon their completion.