Research Evaluation of Projects

Research evaluation of projects consists of activities aimed to give recommendations on how to select projects worth supporting.

It is based on a uniform regulatory, organizational and methodological framework. 

It proceeds from the following principles:

• Systematic approach to experts' work as well as the uniformity of the  regulatory and methodological framework;
• Independence and legal protection of parties to expert assessment;
• Experts' proficiency and adequate rationale behind their assessment as well as their alignment with the latest trends in the world of science;
• Impartial and transparent decisions made as a result of experts' assessment;
• Making the assessment results public while observing state, official, and commercial secrets in accordance with the Russian Federation’s legislation;
• Making sure there are no persons with a conflict of interest engaged in the process of assessment, including those taking part in competitions.

Parties to expert assessment are:

• Ordering Party–  HSE, its branch, or department  taking the decision to subject a project to expert assessment;
• Providing Party  –  Office for Research Evaluation or an HSE department authorized to provide such assessment by the Ordering Party;
• Performing Party  – legal and natural entities having expertise in the area of research evaluation. Experts assess projects in accordance with criteria and states of expert opinions approved by the Ordering Party.

A conflict of interest in project assessment

•  Absence of conflict of interest is an obligatory requirement to invite experts for assessment.
• HSE staff cannot be experts of the project if involved in administrative relations with authors and (or) head of the project, for example working in the same branch (chair, laboratory, institute, centre, etc.).
• If expert has professional, financial or family relations with the head and (or) author(s) of the project, or a scientific supervisor or co-author in the last 3 years, it’s occur a conflict of interest. Thus an expert must give written notice of this and cease assessment work. The notice is given to the Head of the Department of Academic Expert Assessment in free form.
•  Provided a conflict of interest is identified during the assessment process or right after it, the assessment results shall be annulled and another expert assessment shall be made.