India Research Assessments Forum | IRAF

The IRAF Advisory Board

Rationale

As India rapidly advances in science, technology, and higher education, there is a growing need to rethink how research quality and academic performance are assessed. Traditional, publication-centric models are no longer adequate in an era marked by open science, FAIR data, interdisciplinary collaboration, and AI-powered research. Global initiatives like COARA, DORA, and the Barcelona Declaration have called for more responsible, inclusive, and mission-driven research assessment practices. At the same time, India's National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and its expanding AI and digital innovation ecosystem present an opportunity to embed research assessment reform at the heart of national education and research strategy.

The Indian Research Assessments Forum (IRAF) is being proposed as a national platform to catalyze, coordinate, and institutionalize the transformation of research assessment practices in India. It will support policy coherence, enable capacity building, and promote ethical, context-sensitive, and inclusive assessment models.

Strategic Importance of this Forum For India

Global Alignment: IRAF can align India with international best practices in research assessment, ensuring we are part of global reform conversations (e.g., COARA, DORA)
National Framework: It offers a structured, indigenous platform to rethink how academic merit, impact, and innovation are assessed across diverse Indian institutions and disciplines
Inclusivity & Diversity: India’s linguistic, disciplinary, and institutional diversity demands context-sensitive assessment models—IRAF can foster these, including support for multilingualism and epistemic diversity
AI & Digital Integration: With NEP 2020 introducing AI into curricula and research, IRAF can provide ethical and explainable AI assessment guidelines to safeguard scientific integrity
Capacity Building: IRAF could drive training and literacy programs on open science, data governance, and AI tools—empowering reviewers, researchers, and policy-makers
Policy Synergy: It can serve as a nodal body to coordinate between ministries (Education, Science & Tech, AI governance) and funding agencies to harmonize reforms

The IRAF Principles

🇮🇳 For Responsible and Inclusive Research Assessment in India

🔹1. Value Diverse Research Contributions We recognize that research excellence takes many forms. IRAF supports the evaluation of a broad spectrum of outputs beyond traditional journal articles—including datasets, software, community engagement, policy contributions, interdisciplinary work, and public communication.

🔹 2. Promote Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity Assessment systems must reflect India’s social, linguistic, institutional, and regional diversity. We advocate for evaluation frameworks that are fair to early-career researchers, underrepresented communities, and non-elite institutions.

🔹 3. Advance Open Science and FAIR Data Openness is a foundation of integrity and collaboration. IRAF promotes open access, open data, and the adoption of FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) principles across research disciplines.

🔹 4. Enable Ethical Use of AI and Digital Tools As AI becomes integral to research, IRAF supports responsible integration that ensures transparency, explainability, and human oversight. We commit to developing ethical guardrails for AI-enabled research and its evaluation.

🔹 5. Respect Local Contexts and Epistemologies India’s pluralistic research landscape includes Indigenous knowledge systems, local languages, and region-specific priorities. IRAF upholds respect for contextual knowledge and diverse ways of knowing.

🔹 6. Foster Transparency and Accountability Research assessment processes should be transparent, participatory, and auditable. IRAF calls for clearly defined criteria, accessible methodologies, and continuous feedback mechanisms in evaluation practices.

🔹 7. Support Capacity Building and Co-learning IRAF commits to building a culture of learning among all stakeholders—researchers, reviewers, institutions, and funders—through workshops, training, and tools that promote responsible metrics and AI literacy.

🔹 8. Encourage Mission-Oriented and Collaborative Research We encourage systems that reward research aligned with national priorities (e.g., climate, health, education), and that support team science, transdisciplinary collaborations, and long-term social impact.

🔹 9. Commit to Continuous Improvement IRAF believes research assessment is not static. We advocate for iterative, evidence-based reforms that evolve with scientific practices, societal needs, and technological change.

Current Members of the Forum

Objectives of the IRAF

To align Indian research assessment practices with global responsible assessment frameworks (e.g., COARA, OpenAIRE).
To recognize the full diversity of research outputs—including datasets, software, community impact, and interdisciplinary work.
To incorporate AI explainability, provenance tracking, and ethics into research evaluation.
To enable multilingual and culturally inclusive assessment systems reflective of India’s research landscape.
To support training programs on AI literacy and open science practices for researchers, funders, and peer reviewers.

Types of Forum Membership

Institutional Members: Universities, colleges, research institutions, funding bodies, regulatory agencies.
Associate Members: NGOs, libraries, data platforms, publishers, think tanks, or start-ups aligned with IRAF’s principles.
Individual Members: Academics, researchers, policymakers, students, and professionals with an interest in research assessment reform.
Observers / Partners: International organizations or bodies working in alignment (e.g., CoARA, CODATA, DORA).

IRAF Membership Eligibility Criteria

Agreement with IRAF’s mission and principles, including openness, responsible metrics, inclusivity, and AI ethics.
Commitment to actively contribute to IRAF goals (e.g., workshops, policy inputs, community engagement).
For institutions: Demonstrated interest in reforming or experimenting with research assessment practices.

Next Steps

Formal launch of IRAF during the National Summit on Data, AI, and Research Assessment.
Establishment of a secretariat with working groups on key themes (AI & Ethics, Open Science, Discipline-Specific Frameworks, Capacity Building).
Creation of a "Draft Charter for IRAF Membership" to include structured guidelines for categories, eligibility, responsibilities, and governance, ensuring transparency and inclusivity.
Development of an Indian Declaration on Responsible Research Assessment.