HCERES • High Council for the Evaluation of Research and Higher Education

HCERES has the following missions:

• evaluating higher education institutions and groupings, research bodies, scientific cooperation foundations and the French National Research Agency, or, where applicable, overseeing the quality of evaluations carried out by other bodies;
• evaluating research units on request from the overseeing institution, in the absence of validation of evaluation procedures or in the absence of a decision by the overseeing institution to use another evaluation body, or, where applicable, to have research unit evaluation procedures validated by other bodies. If a unit is overseen by more than one institution, only one evaluation shall be carried out. If the institutions jointly decide to use another evaluation body, HCERES shall validate the evaluation procedures used by this body. In the absence of a joint decision by the institutions to use another body, or in the event that the evaluation procedures are not validated, HCERES shall evaluate the research unit;
• evaluating the programmes and degrees offered by higher education institutions or, where applicable, validating evaluation procedures developed by other bodies;
• ensuring that all missions defined by law and the specific status of higher education and research personnel is taken into account in their evaluations;
• ensuring that activities relating to the dissemination of scientific, technical and industrial culture are properly taken into account in the career progression of higher education and research personnel;
• conducting a posteriori evaluation of investment programmes and private bodies receiving public funding intended for research or higher education.

HCERES may take part in evaluating foreign or international research and higher education organisations. It also includes an Observatory of Science and Technologies (OST) responsible for strategic research and analysis.

HCERES is currently undergoing an external review coordinated by ENQA. More information can be found here.

HCERES is registered on EQAR.