Evaluation of the Unified Evaluation Procedure and standardised CV format

Sep 11, 2026

The report evaluates the implementation and effectiveness of the SNSF’s Unified Evaluation Procedure (UEP) and its standardised narrative CV format introduced in 2022. It examines how stakeholders perceive and use the structured individual voting process, the single numeric rating scale, the separation of scientific evaluation from funding decisions, and optional random selection. Evidence is triangulated through a large voluntary survey, stakeholder interviews, and secondary analysis of panel scores, funding decisions, and CV text data.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryGeneral

FormatPDF

Pages121

Reading Time42 min

AccessFree to download

Foreword

Executive Summary

Chapter 1: Evaluating SNSF reforms in the context of global research assessment reforms

Chapter 2: Broad appetite for reform across all stakeholder groups

Chapter 3: Better understanding of its interconnected elements may strengthen confidence in UEP

Chapter 4: Clear expectations must underpin the implementation of a standardised CV

Chapter 5: Summary of recommendations

Annexes

Supplementary data

Evaluation of the Unified Evaluation Procedure and standardised CV format December 2024 Delivered by CultureBase, Different Angles and SIRIS Academic For the Swiss National Science Foundation Table on Contents 3 Foreword 4 Executive Summary 10 Chapter 1: Evaluating SNSF reforms in the context of global research assessment reforms 14 Chapter 2: Broad appetite for reform across all stakeholder groups 21 Chapter 3: Better understanding of its interconnected elements may strengthen confidence in UEP 39 Chapter 4: Clear expectations must underpin the implementation of a standardised CV 63 Chapter 5: Summary of recommendations 67 Annexes 105 Supplementary data Foreword In 2022, the SNSF introduced the Unified Evaluation Procedure (UEP) and a new narrative CV format, with the goal of harmonizing its evaluation process across funding instruments. The UEP is built on four key elements: individual voting in evaluation panels, a single numeric rating scale, the separation of scientific evaluation from funding decisions, and the option for random selection for proposals of equal quality according to evaluation criteria. The new narrative CV reports on career history, academic age, and achievements, focusing on the content and quality of research rather than quantitative metrics. As such, its narrative format is designed to be more DORA-compliant. In order to assess the effectiveness of these new measures, the Presiding Board of the SNSF’s Research Council commissioned an external evaluation in February 2024, approximately two years after their implementation. The mandate was awarded after a competitive tendering process to a consortium of three consultants, CultureBase, SIRIS Academic and Different Angles. The consultants were tasked with engaging the full range of stakeholders, including applicants, external reviewers, panel members and Research Council members, and this report summarises the key findings. The SNSF sincerely thanks the external consortium and all participants for their contributions and perspectives. The Presiding Board acknowledges the high quality of both the work that has been done and of the evaluation report. In addition to providing data and analysis regarding the challenges facing evaluation across the SNSF's portfolio, the report highlights both the strengths of the UEP and the CV format and areas for improvement. The recommendations will now be considered and used to refine the UEP and the CV format. The report will go a significant way in supporting the SNSF's mission of funding excellent researchers and their ideas by allowing it to identify where improvement is needed. Bern, December 2024 Presiding Board of the SNSF's Research Council Executive Summary In 2022, the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) introduced two measures to improve the assessment of research projects. The Unified Evaluation Procedure (UEP) implemented a structured process of individual voting, a linear 9-point rating scale, separate scientific evaluation and funding decisions, and random selection for grants that were at the funding line. The standardised CV format emphasised quality over quantity, focusing on achievements and avoiding publication metrics as a main evaluative tool. By introducing the UEP and standardised CV format, SNSF is aligning with global initiatives towards reforming research assessment, including the Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA) and the Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA) . The purpose of the evaluation reported here was to assess the implementation and effectiveness of these changes. The SNSF engaged CultureBase, Different Angles and SIRIS Academic to study how the UEP and CV were perceived and utilised across three stakeholder groups: described for the purpose of this report as Applicants, Evaluation Panel Members and External Reviewers. The Evaluation Panel Members include Research Councillors and other Panel Members. When these two s

FAQs

What are the two main changes assessed in the report?

The report assesses the Unified Evaluation Procedure (UEP) and the standardised narrative CV format introduced by the SNSF in 2022.

How does the UEP change the evaluation process?

It introduces structured individual voting, a single numeric rating scale, separation of scientific evaluation from funding decisions, and an option for random selection for proposals of equal quality.

What evidence sources are used to evaluate the reforms?

The evaluation triangulates a voluntary survey, interviews, and secondary data analysis, including panel scores, funding decisions, and analysis of standardised CV text.

Sep 11, 2026

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