Reform group says impact and excellence are “synergistic”, in paper setting out guidance for evaluationSocietal impact should become a “core criterion” in research assessment, the Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment has said, arguing that impact and academic excellence are “not competing goals”. In a white paper released on 28 January, Coara calls on research funders, universities and policymakers to put the social impact of research on a par with scientific excellence in research assessment. Coara was created in 2024 to help organisations implement reforms, initiated by the European Commission, that aim to make assessment fairer and more reflective of the breadth of research roles.