Portfolio of research dimensions

Introduction

This portfolio has been developed to help in the description, planning and evaluation of research. The complex research system has been divided up into a number of dimensions from which the researchers and research groups can select when defining their goals and aspirations.

This portfolio of research dimensions was developed chiefly for the purposes of retrospective evaluations at the individual level(What have the person’s research accomplishments been in recent years? How can this be documented or illustrated?). They could also be helpful at the group level(group of individuals whose respective strengths work in a complementary manner) and for prospective purposes or planning(definition of personal research goals and/or implementation of the group’s research strategy).

This portfolio of research dimensions can be used in the context of the procedures described in the Ghent University regulations for the appointment, promotion, evaluation and job of members of professorial staff (ZAP for Zelfstandig Academisch Personeel in Dutch) (the “Regulations for Professorial Staff”) . This portfolio of research dimensions can serve as an aid when completing and evaluating the 'integration text', 'reflection report', and 'evaluation report' templates.

This portfolio has separated the highly diverse roles and goals into two main sections: (1) design and development of research and (2) impact of research (scientific, socio-economic). Items are suggested below for each of the dimensions and researchers can pick from among them to describe and demonstrate what they aim to achieve or have achieved in the dimension in question. These suggestions are not exhaustive or mandatory: each item need not be demonstrated and there may also be other items that are not listed but that would strengthen the dossier. The portfolio solely serves as inspiration and may not be regarded as a checklist of items that all need to be completed.

Transversal section: integrity and ethics

Ghent University has endorsed the European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity or ALLEA-code (2023). It therefore expects every researcher to comply with the principles of integrity in research and ensure the compliance of those around him/her. The general principles of scientific integrity apply to all fields of research. In practice, this means among other things that there shall be no tolerance for the fabrication or falsification of research data or plagiarism. Additionally, the policy focuses on raising the quality of scientific research by addressing various forms of unacceptable research behaviour, such as the careless processing of data, etc.

In addition to integrity, many ethical principles also apply to research. Special attention is paid to general ethics topics (and related guidelines in certain cases) such as proper use of informed consent, work with children and minor respondents, etc. Application of these principles is complemented in a number of fields, methodologies or contexts by specific legislation such as privacy laws on research in humans, animal research policy, dual use policy for research with possible military applications, etc.

Section Design and Development of Research

Vitality

Here, the focus is on growth and development. The transformation of a researcher is characterised within the European context for research careers, from “Recognised Researcher” (R2) – researchers with a few years of post-doctoral experience – to “Established Researcher” (R3) – the phase during which the researcher functions autonomously, and then to “Leading Researcher” (R4) – the phase during which the researcher functions internally as a group leader, a role model for other researchers, has a good reputation internationally and when the intrinsic quality of the research increases through experience and insight. There are many challenges to good leadership in research, both within an individual entity (as a group leader) and outside of the university (as a coordinator of international projects).

Favourable evaluation of applications for research funds from external funding agencies (FWO (Research Foundation Flanders), Europe, foundations, industry)
International awards and recognitions based on intrinsic research quality, such as ERC Advanced Grant, Francqui Chair, etc. and general or field-specific special recognitions
Reviews of papers as a peer review expert
Leading role as an evaluator or expert in the researcher’s field (e.g. panel chair, member of a “high level group”)
Sustained, outstanding track record in (social) entrepreneurship
Pioneering role in a spin-off process
Pioneering role in a scientific organisation
Publications with an important personal contribution (in peer-reviewed journals, a book publication, peer-reviewed conference proceedings, …)
Keynote speeches (by invitation) at prestigious conferences
Growth of the research group (in FTE, for example)
Successful doctoral defences as supervisor
Review articles by invitation in renowned specialist journals

Originality

Innovation is a crucial part of research. This component is connected with vitality, but the focus here is more on “innovation” than on “expansion”, such as through the application of new methodologies or the discovery of little known research material. High-risk research is a specific form of originality: a new and often unpredictable research line is developed, in keeping with the aspirations of the research group.

Development of a new research line
Appreciation by evaluators / excellent score regarding originality in the application file for research budgets from external financiers (type FWO, Europe, foundations, companies)
Development and testing of new methodologies
Negative review in a top journal due to an approach that is too radical or too innovative
Published negative results

Leadership in research

Leadership increases as a researcher builds up more experience and takes on more responsibilities, but the seeds are already planted and developed in the supervision of students, the collegial support of colleagues and design of a research line. Good leadership is recognised within the individual research group and also generates increased visibility outside of the groups.

Role as a people manager in building a research group or research consortium
Supervision and mentoring of researchers (scientific staff, doctoral students, postdocs)
Management of administrative and technical staff
Management and/or restructuring of the research group
Growth of the research group
Leading role as an evaluator or expert in the researcher’s field (e.g. panel chair, member of a “high level group”)
Reviews of papers as a peer review expert
Pioneering role in a spin-off process
Pioneering role in a scientific organisation
International awards and recognitions for high-level research, such as ERC advanced grant, Francqui Chair, etc. and general or field-specific recognitions
Keynote speeches (by invitation) at prestigious conferences
Successful doctoral defences as supervisor
Research budget obtained in the previous 5 years

Interdisciplinarity

“Interdisciplinarity” is understood as: the various degrees and types of collaboration within the individual field . This includes cross-, multi-, inter- and transdisciplinarity.
Interdisciplinary thinking and working goes one step further: the aim is to integrate perspectives or insights from different disciplines in order to better explain a complex phenomenon. For example, integration can take place at the level of methods, tools, concepts, theories or insights. Together we can do more than alone. With transdisciplinarity, in addition to students or academics, other (social) partners are also involved in researching a complex question. This is about bringing together knowledge from science and practice, for example to arrive at a specific integrative approach or solution that also achieves social impact. In addition, transdisciplinary research can also lead to new fundamental scientific questions and insights.
“Opening up” the research process to other fields requires that the researchers be open to and curious about the expertise of others and seek out innovation through this confrontation.

Sharing of research infrastructure
Management of and involvement in an interdisciplinary research group
Detailed strategy for the interdisciplinary approach in the researcher’s own research environment
Joint research agenda with a group from another discipline
Implementation within the researcher’s own research group of an “Open Science” culture
Development of interdisciplinary methods/methodologies
Contribution to interdisciplinary journals or specialist journals
Joint publications with colleagues in other fields
Joint publications with external partners (transdisciplinarity)
Joint doctoral projects with colleagues in other fields (including Ghent University interdisciplinary doctorates)
Joint applications for research funding with colleagues in other fields

International collaboration

Researchers function in an international scientific context: they keep up-to-date on international developments via the literature and conferences in their field and share their own research results internationally through those same channels. International collaboration goes one step further than international communication.
Effective international collaboration leads to joint projects and publications and is therefore a means to contribute to increased scientific quality and a larger impact. Collaboration can also take place at the policy level, through the management of international scientific organisations, for example.
Doing this well requires a high level of investment in terms of preparation, management and follow-up. This includes in particular new collaborations or the growth and reinforcement of existing collaborations. This can be done through existing or new opportunities and funding channels (e.g. VLIR-UOS (Flemish Inter-University Council-University Development Cooperation), European framework programmes, CERN, etc.).

Leading role in international scientific organisations, such as member of the organising committee of an internationally-renowned conference
Management of an international research project (e.g. VLIR-UOS, EU,…) or research applications as a member of international consortia
Research funding obtained from international sources
New bilateral collaboration projects
Development, continuation and reinforcement of an international network for high-quality collaboration and exchange
Publications in the context of international collaborations
Joint doctorates
Supervision of international exchange doctoral students
Patents with international co-applicants

Academic commitment

External academic commitments in the form of value creation activities are summarised in the section “Socio-economic impact” section. There are also other types of commitments that have little or no relation to the researcher’s own specific research expertise or possible applications of their research, but that are an extension of the role of a researcher in general. Academic commitments can include activities which contribute to the efficient operation of the university in the area of research (e.g. membership on the Research Council of the researcher’s university) or activities that contribute to policy-making in the area of research or innovation in Flanders, Belgium or Europe or to the regional, national or international management of leading organisations in the researcher’s own field. These activities require a substantial time investment but improve the profile of Ghent University. In this type of role, membership or function, institutional affiliation with Ghent University is generally either a necessity (as a representative of the university) or added value (when affiliation with the university increases the credibility and authority of the external mission). In some cases, there is not a clear distinction between forms of academic commitment relying on general expertise on the one hand and the societal value creation of research on the other.

Membership in an FWO (Research Foundation Flanders) selection committee
Participation in research-related policy committees outside of Ghent University – at the inter-university, Flemish, national or international level (e.g. VLIR (Flemish Inter-University Council), KVAB (Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium for Science and the Arts), the National Young Academy, VARIO, European Commission,…)
Leading role as an evaluator or expert in the researcher’s field (e.g. panel chair, member of a “high level group”)
(Co-)authorship of reports or opinions on research or innovation policy
Leading or strategic role based on the researcher’s own general research expertise, for example in the Data Protection Authority, the Belgian Federal Agency for Medicines and Health Products, an international scientific association
Membership in external assessment committees

Section Scientific and Socio-economic Impact

This section mainly concerns the achievements of innovative research, such as the influence on other researchers, the discovery of a new research field, recognition by the international research community (= scientific impact), etc. on the one hand, and the demonstrable contribution that this excellent research makes to society.

Scientific impact

The scientific impact of research is closely tied to but synonymous with the intrinsic quality of the research. Scientific impact refers to the demonstrable contribution of high-quality research to the work of fellow scientists: a contribution to conceptional changes within the researcher’s own field or to the advancement of scientific, methodological and theoretical ideas within the researcher’s own field and other fields. There is therefore also excellent research with a high intrinsic quality, which nevertheless has little influence on the work of colleagues. Scientific impact can be evident from the number of times publications are cited, but there are also other, sometimes more difficult to illustrate, forms (and indicators) of scientific impact.
Making science “open” to fellow scientists via open access to publications and open and data and data management according to the principles of FAIR (findable, accessible, interoperable, reproducible) increases the scientific impact of researchers. In an open environment, results are more easily accessible to fellow scientists, research is can be reproduced by other fellow scientists and the research process more closely follows the principles of scientific integrity and ethics.

Keynote speaker at the renowned conferences in the field
Book publication by an academic publisher
Editor (by invitation) of a special issue of a journal or scientific book (series)
Member in or chair of assessment or evaluation committees of research groups outside of Ghent University
Scientific recognition or award for making a paradigm shift in the field
Downloads of (open access) papers
Users/downloads of (open) (FAIR) datasets
Users/downloads of open code/open source software
Citations of scientific publications
Collaborations initiated based on scientific publications

Socio-economic impact

Impact is the effect that research has in society. It is the changes we can see (demonstrate, measure, record) in our sphere of life (society, economy, environment) that result from (caused by, contributed to, attributable to) research and scientific knowledge. Impact manifests itself in many ways (cultural, societal, technological, political, quality of life and health, economy, ...), can be far-reaching or limited, local or global, short- or long-term, be measurable and/or quantitative or just conceptual and very difficult to express. Impact can be linked to a specific project but also to broader and gradual knowledge building. With impact, one mainly wants to achieve benefits for society but impact can also be negative. Value creation (in Dutch ‘valorisatie’) of research is the process that can lead to impact and can be interwoven throughout the life cycle of research (ranging from which and how the research is conducted to the dissemination or commercialisation of the results). While researchers fulfil their role in the process by planning value creation (e.g. using so-called pathways to impact), there is also a big role for other stakeholders.
Socio-economic impact also includes “service to society” (dienstverlening) in the (narrow) sense of: “making the research expertise or research infrastructure available upon request by external parties and for the benefit of external parties”, ("dienstverlening") as described in the Higher Education Codex, Article IV, 71 - the legal reference framework.

Development of a valorisation strategy for research (results)
Preparation/creation of spin-offs
Creation of an endowed chair
Being part of an IOF (Industrial Research Fund) business development centre as a steering committee member with a contribution to valorisation work
Research projects in collaboration with non-academic partners (industry, government, private non-profit, etc.), strategic basic research projects, policy-related research projects, etc.
Setting up interdisciplinary innovation platforms or clusters that jointly federate different research groups
International public profile in terms of influencing professional practice and policy
Book publication with a publisher (other than course material)
Research projects in collaboration with partners in the Global South
Development of a training package or awareness campaign (within or outside Ghent University, or for example in the context of research collaborations and/or development projects with academic partners in the South)
Structural cooperation with Ghent University public platforms (GUM, Krook, etc.)
Structural involvement of research stakeholders in one's research (living labs, co-creation processes, citizen science, etc.)
Communication strategy via divers media to and in collaboration with stakeholders
Participation in Open Innovation projects
Patent applications submitted and patents granted
Use of Patient Public Involvement
Participation in (institutional) Science Communication initiatives
Manuals for schools and other education providers
Organisation of an exhibition
Policy reports and advice
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