New assessment criteria for evaluating scientific activity

The Spanish National Assessment Commission for Evaluating Scientific Activity (Comisión Nacional Evaluadora de la Actividad Investigadora - CNEAI) has published in the Official Bulletin (BOE) a resolution changing the evaluation criteria to be applied to the remuneration of university teaching staff (Resolution dated 19 November, published in the BOE on 29 November 2012).

Applications for evaluating scientific and research activity involving patents and submitted in different fields of science and knowledge (mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, etc.) will now be transferred, subsequent to a report by the committee, to “field 6” (engineering and architecture) where the focus will be on:

“Patents in operation as shown by a sales contract or a licence contract, and patents granted by the Spanish Patents and Trademark Office using the prior examination system. The extension of the patent protection (national, European, international) will be taken into account, with evaluation being higher for more extensive protection”.

Regarding the evaluation of activities to transfer knowledge and innovation, researchers entitled to request evaluation of one or several research periods may do so by using the usual format (fields 1 to 11), or may make their application under “field 0”. This allows researchers who have at least one six-year period for research to apply for subsequent six-year periods associated not only with research but also with knowledge transfer. These six-year periods are not considered additional but are an alternative to six-year periods for research.

More information at OEPM and the BOE.