Evaluation in Research and Research Funding Organisations: European Practices

Abstract

The aim of this report is to give insight into the practices of ex-post evaluation from the perspective of European research and funding organisations and to explore the opportunities and challenges of evaluation. It cannot substitute for ‘toolbox’ documents, which focus on methodologies and practical issues to be approached before commencing an evaluation project. There are plenty of excellent guides to this. Instead, the report aims to be helpful in developing a research organisation’s evaluation policy and therefore the organisation’s strategy itself. The recommendations draw on the experience of a wide spectrum of research organisations – funding and research performing – in Europe: small and big, with long or brief tradition, from diverse geographical locations and with different missions. It gives an overview of evaluation principles accepted among the ESF Member Organisations and includes examples and good practices from those organisations.