The Biomedical Research Center of the SAS (BMC SAS) presented outcomes in three areas of the Alliance4Life BRIDGE project, aimed at enhancing institutional practices and promoting excellence in research management across Central and Eastern Europe. The joint report reflects the collaborative efforts of 12 Alliance4Life (A4L) members from 11 countries during the first phase of the project, focusing on the topics of research evaluation, human resources management, and sustainable laboratory practices.
The Open Peer-Evaluation Pilot (led by BMC SAS) explored new methods for transparent institutional assessment by developing a harmonized checklist and evaluating readiness for implementation across member institutions. In parallel, the task on Best Practices in HR Management (led by CEITEC MU) mapped the adoption and perception of advanced HR policies, such as career development frameworks and gender equality measures, to identify impactful approaches and foster mutual learning. Finally, the Green Lab Audit (led by BMC SAS) assessed the progress of sustainability practices in research environments, showcasing actionable examples and stimulating further improvement in environmentally responsible research operations.
Together, these three activities serve as a foundation for shared learning and institutional development within the Alliance, supporting the overarching goal of narrowing the innovation gap in the European Research Area.
Open Peer Evaluation Checklist
Open peer-evaluation plays an essential role in promoting a culture of research excellence, transparency, and fairness in academic institutions. By engaging a panel of external experts, institutions can objectively assess the quality, impact, and integrity of research practices, ensuring that assessments go beyond internal biases or traditional metrics. This process not only enhances the credibility of research outcomes but also fosters a climate of trust, ongoing learning, and continual improvement across all organizational levels.
Three A4L institutions (CEITEC MU, ICRC, and BMC SAS) have already successfully integrated open peer evaluation into their research assessment system. Their experiences and good practices together with recognition of CoARA principles can guide other A4L consortium members to carry out open peer evaluation of research at their institutions. In the frame of the A4L_BRIDGE project, three more partners committed to this endeavor.
In order to contribute towards harmonization of preparation and accomplishment of the evaluation, BMC SAS designed a structured checklist that can serve for navigating the process of open peer-evaluation, providing a practical and systematic approach for coordinators, reviewers, and institutional leaders. BMC SAS also provided its own checklist as an example after moving towards targeted evaluations of individual research teams.
Best practices of HR management
The A4L partners also focused on the perception of recent changes in HR management. It builds on previous strategic initiatives, particularly the formulation of shared best practices, development of institutional HR strategies and implementation of HR action plans. While earlier reports focused on policy design and formal progress, this study explored whether these efforts have translated into meaningful improvements in everyday HR practices and employees’ experience.
The analysis focused on three key domains: recruitment, gender equality and diversity and leadership.
Key findings include the fact that recruitment processes have improved in terms of structure and transparency, particularly in institutions with stronger HR support and policy. Gender and diversity initiatives are in place, but their visibility and perceived impact vary. While institutional representatives view diversity as a strategic goal, many employees report limited awareness of these initiatives and question their real impact.
While leadership training is frequently mentioned by institutions as a key area of investment, employees report varying leadership quality and lack of feedback culture. However, many institutions observed a significant positive synergic effect of leadership development programmes on other areas of institutional development.
The report highlights the need to not only introduce HR reforms, but also ensure their effective communication, institutional anchoring, and cultural integration.
Green Lab Strategies
The last topic presented is environmental impact of scientific research that the A4L partners recognize as a significant and urgent challenge.
Under the previous A4L_ACTION project, the compliance with the principles of environmentally responsible research was assessed through two structured surveys. These provided valuable insight into both our strengths and areas requiring improvement.
The Green Lab audit conducted in 2024 confirmed that Alliance4Life partners have made substantial progress in piloting and embedding Green Lab policies. Yet, full-scale implementation remains demanding. This is primarily due to the complexity of transformation, challenges posed by the specific nature of life science research, and administrative constraints, such as public procurement rules narrowly focused on financial cost, and the limited availability of dedicated resources for environmental upgrades.
Key areas for further development include the practical implementation of Green Lab strategies, the availability of internal guidelines and structured training, systematic carbon footprint monitoring, improved procurement and resource-sharing systems, the adoption of water-saving technologies, and the integration of green chemistry alternatives into research design.
On the other hand, waste management remains a strong point across the consortium, driven by existing legal and ethical frameworks regulating the use and disposal of biological, chemical, and radioactive materials.
To guide the next phase of this transition, the Alliance4Life partners have co-developed a Green Lab Guide with adaptable, actionable steps for institutions, research units, and individual researchers. These recommendations offer a structured pathway to embed environmental responsibility into everyday research operations while respecting the scientific, administrative, and financial realities of Central and Eastern European institutions.
More details on the A4L_BRIDGE project: https://alliance4life.com/our-projects/alliance4life_bridge
More details in full text of the project deliverable: https://alliance4life.com/media/3920924/a4l_bridge_d11-research-culture-assessments_101136453docx.pdf