Advancing Research Assessment Through Knowledge-Based Infrastructure: Lessons from MERIT Project

Abstract: The MERIT Portal is pioneering digital infrastructure designed to transform professorial recruitment at Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin. The portal embeds Open Science principles and makes narrative-based assessment practices more fair, transparent, and robust. Unlike conventional systems, MERIT not only guides applicants in presenting their academic achievements—emphasizing impact, Open Science, team contributions, and contextualized academic age—but also provides an innovative assessment tool for reviewers. This dual function supports structured, quality-oriented and bias-aware assessments, setting MERIT apart as a platform that advances both applicant presentation and reviewer decision-making. In doing so, the portal helps to institutionalize responsible research assessment aligned with international frameworks such as DORA and CoARA. Motivation: Institutional research assessment reform is thriving at the policy level but often lacks operational tools for implementation in the existing organizational workflows. Knowledge-based infrastructures like MERIT play a critical role in enabling practical, sustainable reform. By embedding evidence-informed criteria and promoting new standards of transparency, inclusivity, and societal relevance, MERIT showcases how digital infrastructures can catalyze culture change from within academic institutions. Contributions: We present the MERIT Portal’s integrated structure, highlighting its three modules (Application Tool, Assessment Tool, and Management Tool) and discuss its alignment with institutional strategies (Charité Strategy 2030; BIH Strategic Research Program 2023–2027) and international best practices. We further reflect on the portal’s pilot phase, offering insights into its continuous development, first results from the program evaluation and its broader implications for shaping research assessment. Furthermore, the proposal will report relevant steps of organizational implementation and discuss challenges.