KI Research Assessment (KIRA) 2025-26

Current review cycle: KIRA 2025

The review cycle launched in 2025 is referred to as KIRA 2025. The name encompasses the entire ongoing cycle, which will be carried out between 2025 and 2030:

• 2025–2026: Departments within Campus Solna and Campus South
• 2026–2027: Departments within Campus North
• 2026–2030: Annual follow-up through the KIRA Quality Seminar

KIRA 2025 focuses on the processes and conditions that enable high-quality research. The approach is developmental and forward-looking. The underlying premise is that development is fostered through self-reflection, collegial dialogue, and open discussion of strengths, challenges, and priorities. KIRA is also intended to promote learning and the exchange of experiences between departments, campus areas (department groups), the university leadership and the professional services. Departments are the primary units of review. The process is designed to support each department in identifying how its research environment can be further developed and what support may be needed from other parts of KI. In this way, local ownership of development efforts is combined with a shared responsibility for KI’s long-term development.

The overarching question for KIRA 2025 is:  How can KI further strengthen the conditions and processes that promote high-quality research?

KIRA 2025 in five steps

The KIRA 2025 process consists of five steps:

1. Departmental self-evaluations
   All departments within a campus area (department group) conduct their self-evaluations during the same period and develop preliminary action plans. The self-evaluation provides an opportunity to engage staff in a collective analysis of the research environment and to identify strengths, challenges, opportunities, and priorities.
2. Campus seminar
   The self-evaluations and action plans are discussed collegially within the campus area. The seminar focuses on shared challenges, examples of good practice and lessons learned that may support the departments’ continued development work.
3. External panel review
   The self-evaluations and preliminary action plans are reviewed by an external expert panel with international experience in leading and developing high-quality research environments. During the site visits, the panel engages in dialogue with the departments regarding their analyses, priorities and proposed actions. The panel’s role is to provide constructive and forward-looking feedback to both the departments and KI as a university.
4. Finalisation of action plans
   The panel’s conclusions and recommendations are documented in a written report. Based on feedback from the campus seminar, the site visits and the panel report, departments revise their action plans. The action plans are owned by the departments and should include concrete measures to address key challenges and take advantage of identified opportunities. They may also identify areas where support is needed from other parts of KI.
5. KIRA quality seminar
   Experiences and lessons learned from KIRA are shared at university level through a recurring KIRA quality seminar. Departments report on progress in implementing their action plans. The seminar also provides an opportunity to discuss development issues that require coordinated action across KI.

Self-Evaluation and action plan

The self-evaluation forms the principal basis for departmental development work within KIRA 2025. It should be analytical, forward-looking and informed by broad internal dialogue.

The self-evaluation covers eight areas:

1. Organisation, leadership and research profile
2. Recruitment and career development
3. Research culture and research environment
4. Publication and societal impact
5. Funding
6. Research support and administration
7. Challenges, opportunities and priorities
8. The self-evaluation process

Alongside the self-evaluation, each department develops a concise action plan. The action plan should translate the analysis into concrete and feasible measures, with clear responsibilities and strong local ownership.

KIRA at Campus North 2026–2027

During 2026–2027, the eight departments within Campus North will undertake the KIRA process. The overall structure follows the same model as that used for Campus Solna and Campus South, while incorporating experiences and lessons learned from the first phase of the review cycle. The process began in September 2026 with departmental self-evaluations. This is followed by a campus-wide seminar, submission of self-evaluations and action plans, and review and site visits by an external expert panel.

Preliminary timeline for Campus North

• 1 September 2026: Launch of departmental self-evaluations
• 8 December 2026: Campus-wide KIRA seminar
• Around 20 January 2027: Submission of self-evaluations and preliminary action plans
• March-April 2027: Expert panel site visits
• Summer/Autumn 2027: Vice President’s KIRA Quality Seminar

Dates and further information will be updated continuously. The campus-wide seminar is scheduled for 8 December 2026, while other dates remain provisional and may be adjusted as planning progresses.

KIRA at Campus Solna and Campus South 2025–2026

The first phase of KIRA 2025 was conducted during 2025–2026 and included 13 departments within Campus Solna and Campus South. Departments completed self-evaluations and developed action plans. These materials were reviewed by an external expert panel, which also conducted site visits and held discussions with both departmental representatives and KI leadership. The panel provided recommendations to each department as well as to KI at the institutional level. Work to address the findings and recommendations has now commenced.

Responsibilities and Contact

The Committee for Research is responsible for the continued development of KIRA as a framework and for the overall follow-up of outcomes from completed review cycles.
The Vice President has overall responsibility for the implementation of KIRA 2025.