Changed on 05/06/2024
Inria, like all higher education and research institutions, is evaluated by an independent administrative authority, the High Council for the Evaluation of Research and Higher Education (Hcérès).
The High Council for Evaluation of Research and Higher Education (Hcéres) is an independent administrative authority.
Hcéres seeks to follow best international practice in the performance of its missions. With regard to evaluation criteria, its methods are based, on principles of objectivity, transparency and equal treatment for all organisations assessed, and, with regard to the selection of the individuals responsible for evaluations, on world-class scientific expertise, neutrality and balance in the representation of themes and opinions. Hcéres seeks to prevent conflicts of interest in the composition of the expert committees responsible for carrying out evaluations. It may perform evaluations directly or verify the quality of evaluations performed by other bodies by validating the procedures used. Hcéres enables the organisations and institutions that it evaluates directly to present, at their request, observations throughout the evaluation procedure, and at its conclusion.
Hcéres is responsible for
- evaluating higher education institutions and groupings, research bodies, scientific cooperation foundations and the French National Research Agency, or, where applicable, overseeing the quality of evaluations carried out by other bodies;
- evaluating research units on request from the overseeing institution, in the absence of validation of evaluation procedures or in the absence of a decision by the overseeing institution to use another evaluation body or, where applicable, to have validated research unit evaluation procedures carried out by other bodies.
If a unit is overseen by more than one institution, only one evaluation shall be carried out. If the institutions jointly decide to use another evaluation body, Hcéres shall validate the evaluation procedures used by this body. In the absence of a joint decision by the institutions to use another body, or in the event that the evaluation procedures are not validated, Hcéres shall evaluate the research unit;
- evaluating the programmes and degrees offered by higher education institutions or, where applicable, validating evaluation procedures developed by other bodies.
- ensuring that all missions defined by law and the specific status of higher education and research personnel is taken into account in their evaluations;
- ensuring that activities relating to the dissemination of scientific, technical and industrial culture are properly taken into account in the career progression of higher education and research personnel;
- conducting a posteriori evaluation of investment programmes and private bodies receiving public funding for research or higher education.
Hcéres may also take part in evaluating foreign or international research and higher education organisations, under European or international cooperation programmes or at the request of the competent authorities.
Hcéres also includes a Science and Technology Observatory (OST) responsible for strategic research and analysis.
Advices and recommendations of the 2024 report
- Carry on with the strategy initiated in the next objectives and performance contract, making the necessary adjustments to ensure its implementation. Amend Inria's founding decree to update its missions;
- Affirm the importance of scientific excellence as a prerequisite for achieving Inria's missions, and pursue efforts to strengthen the evaluation of research in relation to the best in the world;
- Accelerate the integration of the humanities and social sciences into Inria's scientific strategy;
- Strengthen public policy support activities, give them a clear financial framework and extend this support to public policy design;
- Strengthen our policy of cooperation with other research organizations, and develop our regional strategy of centers integrated with universities;
- Deploy a strategy of influence at European level commensurate with the stakes, by forging appropriate alliances; mobilize researchers and strengthen support for project teams;
- Stabilize governance and linkages between general management, centers and partner universities, and make them clearer; involve all bodies more closely in monitoring implementation of the strategy, using a shared dashboard;
- Define an ambitious roadmap for gender balance without delay, and include its implementation in the next objectives and performance contract, with concrete objectives and processes;
- Define a multi-year programming of resources as part of an overall development strategy, to ensure financial sustainability by avoiding any decoupling between ambitions and resources;
- Give the Information Systems department the capacity to succeed in Inria's digital transformation, and make this success a major priority.