Ksenia Sawczak, The “least worst” exercise – What direction will research evaluation in Australia take?, The London School of Economics and Political Science, 3 October 2025
The Australian Research Council is consulting on the future of research evaluation. Given the rejection of its previous iterations on the grounds of its administrative burden and failure to demonstrate value, Ksenia Sawczak questions the value of a lighter touch approach.
Research evaluation is back on the agenda in Australia.
In August 2022 the Australian Research Council’s preparations for the 2023 Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) exercise came to an abrupt stop when the Minister for Education announced its cancellation. This announcement (applauded by the sector) came in response to well-known concerns about the workload associated with this cumbersome and outdated exercise, as well as its companion program, Engagement and Impact (EI). As part of his announcement, the Minister also tasked the ARC with presenting a transition plan and a new process ready for implementation in 2024-25.