Research assessment practices of science and innovation research funding programs in South Asia

Abstract

Research assessment involves decisions about what is essential in academic research, i.e., what is to be valued in academic careers and research outputs (Bonn and Bouter, 2021). It also entails who decides what is essential in research and what is necessary to be measured. “Research assessment shapes the research landscape and influences how research is performed, who it is performed by, and how it is disseminated.” The debate on the form and method of research assessment began in the 1980s when growth in research funding led to an increase in the research workforce. An increase in the number of researchers raises the need for a fairer distribution of research funding, resources, hiring, promotion, and tenure decisions. There is a growing call for research evaluation to be more transparent, responsible, and just.