The Sino-EU Strategic Dialogue on Research Evaluation was successfully held in Beijing from June 4 to 5, 2026. Co-organized by the Institutes of Science and Development, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CASISD), the Italian National Agency for the Evaluation of Universities and Research Institutes (ANVUR), and the Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA), the event was undertaken by the Third-party Evaluation Research Support Center of CASISD and co-sponsored by the Chinese Embassy in Italy. More than 30 experts and scholars from renowned European institutions engaged in research evaluation, as well as representatives from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Education, the Chinese Academy of Engineering, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, and prestigious universities including Tsinghua University and Peking University attended the conference. Participants conducted in-depth exchanges and discussions on the hot topic of research evaluation.

Pan Tao, Deputy Director-General of the Bureau of Science and Technology Innovation Development, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Research Fellow Lu Xiao, Vice President of CASISD; and Professor Alessandra Guidi, Science and Technology Counsellor of the Italian Embassy in China, attended the opening ceremony and delivered speeches successively. Research Fellow Li Xiaoxuan, Director of the Third-party Evaluation Research Support Center, presided over the opening ceremony.

The conference featured insightful presentations and vibrant discussions, consisting of two main sessions: keynote speeches and thematic panel discussions. During the keynote session, Professor James Wilsdon, Executive Director of the Research on Research Institute (RoRI) in the UK, summarized the global development trends of research evaluation. Dr. Daniele Livon, Director of ANVUR, introduced the current development of Italy’s research evaluation system. Research Fellow Tian Delu, Deputy Director of the National Center for Science and Technology Evaluation under the Ministry of Science and Technology, shared his thoughts on the reform of research evaluation in China. Research Fellow Xu Fang from CASISD delivered a report on the origin, evolution and challenges of the transformation between traditional and new models of research evaluation in China.

Four presentations were delivered respectively by European and Chinese experts in the thematic panel session. Dr. Matthias Girod, Secretary-General of CoARA; Dr. Marco Malgarini, Head of the Research Evaluation Department at ANVUR; Dr. Mostafa, Executive Director of the Marie Curie Alumni Association (MCAA); and Dr. Yensi Flores Bueso, President of the Global Young Academy (GYA), shared practices of research evaluation reform across Europe and the world from diverse perspectives. On the Chinese side, Research Fellow Fan Yingjie, Director of the Bureau of International Cooperation, National Natural Science Foundation of China; Professor Li Zhengfeng from the School of Social Sciences, Tsinghua University; Professor Li Jiang from the School of Information Management, Nanjing University; and Research Fellow Yang Cuihong, Vice President of the Academy of Mathematics and Systems Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, presented the evaluation practices implemented in their respective institutions.

The conference enabled China and Europe to gain a thorough understanding of each other’s background, concepts, practical approaches and challenges in advancing research evaluation reform. All participants agreed that the two sides share much in common in this field, with plenty of replicable practices and universal challenges. The unique seminar left attendees eager for further exchanges. Following the event, the Third-party Evaluation Research Support Center held discussions with Italy's National Agency for the Evaluation of Universities and Research Institutes (ANVUR), reaching a clear consensus on follow-up cooperation.