Periodic Assessment VER 2026

The Periodic Assessment of Research, Development, Artistic and Other Creative Activities (abbreviated as Periodic Assessment), or Verification of Excellence in Research (abbreviated as VER), is a peer-review assessment of the publishing and other creative activities of Slovak scientific and research institutions (public universities and public research institutions).

The quality of Slovak research is assessed by the international scientific community in cooperation with foreign evaluators. For the VER 2026 Periodic Assessment, assessment panels and sub-panels were established, composed of international experts affiliated with 88 universities and research institutions across 23 countries (e.g. Princeton University, Boston University, the University of Melbourne, TU Munich, ETH Zurich, Paris-Saclay University, Sapienza University of Rome, etc.).

In the VER 2026 Periodic Assessment, outputs of creative activity, the societal impact of research, development, artistic and other creative activities, and the environment for research, development, artistic and other creative activities from the evaluation period 2020–2024 were assessed. The subject of the assessment were the workplaces of Slovak public universities (hereinafter referred to as “HEIs”) and public research institutions (hereinafter referred to as “PRIs”) and their research publication outputs, social impact and creative environment, as long as the workplace had at least 5 scientists (employed full-time in the case of HEIs, or at least half-time in the case of PRIs, in each case they had to have been working at the workplace for at least three years during the period under review) in the assessment period 2020-2024.

Outputs

In the first assessment domain – the outputs – a maximum of 25 references to outputs (scientific articles, monographs, conference papers, artistic outputs, etc.) in the research area for which the application was submitted could be provided. For each creative staff member, a maximum of five hyperlinks to outputs were submitted. If an individual had produced fewer than five outputs, so-called “zero outputs” were submitted on their behalf.

Example: a faculty of a selected HEI has applied for a periodic assessment in the research area ‘chemical sciences’. In the application for this research area, it has listed five staff members who fulfilled the conditions for inclusion [a minimum of 36 months of 100 per cent full-time employment at the faculty concerned during the years 2020-2024]. Four of the five staff members produced at least five outputs each during the assessment period, while the fifth staff member produced three scholarly outputs during the assessment period. Therefore, a total of 23 creative outputs (five outputs each from four of the staff members, and three from the staff member with quantitatively lower output number during the assessment period) and two zero outputs were included in the periodic assessment under such application.

Example: The selected PRI has applied for a periodic assessment in the area of ‘legal studies’, including 7 staff members who meet the eligibility criteria. In this case, in order for the selection of outputs to meet the criterion of evenness, the applicant must submit four outputs for four of these staff members and three outputs for three of these staff members for the final selection (25 outputs in total).

Social Impact

For the assessment of social impact, applicants for the periodic evaluation were required to submit case studies. Social impact within VER 2026 represents a demonstrable change, benefit, or effect of research or creative activity beyond the academic environment, for example at the level of society, the economy, public policy, culture, or quality of life. In the social impact case study, applicants were required to clearly and factually describe the specific impact, its nature, scope, and target groups, while also explaining how their research contributed to this impact. This also included presenting the underpinning research and its outputs, providing relevant references, and, importantly, supplying evidence (including external sources or contacts) that substantiates the claims about the impact. The case study thus forms a coherent, evidence-based narrative demonstrating how research results have led to a tangible social impact.

The number of social impact case studies submitted within an application for assessment was determined by the number of the applicant’s employees included in the given application:

Creative Environment

For the assessment of the creative environment, applicants were required to submit a structured form describing the research environment. The creative environment within VER 2026 describes the conditions, context, profiling, and capacities of a workplace that enable the implementation of high-quality research, artistic, or other creative activities. In the form, applicants were required to systematically present the structure and mission of the workplace, its research focus and strategic objectives, as well as the ways in which these objectives are achieved. This also included documenting collaboration and contributions to the research area and society, describing staffing arrangements including support for researchers and doctoral candidates, and presenting doctoral theses that illustrate the profile of the workplace. In addition, applicants provided information on resources, infrastructure, and research funding. The overall submission was intended to provide a factual and concrete picture of the quality and functioning of the environment in which scientific or artistic outputs are produced.

The inspiration for the Periodic Assessment of Research, Development, Artistic and Other Creative Activities was drawn from proven foreign systems of science evaluation, in particular the British Research Excellence Framework (REF for short).

In accordance with Section 26aa of Act No 172/2005 Coll. on the organisation of State support for research and development, HEIs and PRIs shall undergo a periodic evaluation of their research, development or artistic and other creative activities once every six years.