The Research Evaluation and Analytics Capacity Hub (REACH), at the University of Kentucky, hosted the third annual Research Analytics Summit April 19-21 in Newport, Rhode Island.
The summit serves as the flagship national meeting dedicated to strengthening research analytics capacity, advancing data‑informed decision making and promoting responsible research evaluation across higher education and the broader research ecosystem. Summit sessions focused on building capacity and skills in these areas, including emerging artificial intelligence (AI) technologies.
The summit brought together more than 215 participants and featured more than 100 speakers with interactive workshops and concurrent sessions.
The summit continues to support REACH's mission to enhance the use of analytics, AI and responsible evaluation practices across research institutions.
"Research analytics is becoming increasingly central to strategic planning, capacity building and the stewardship of research enterprise resources," said Baron Wolf, Ph.D., director of research analytics at UK and director of REACH. "The summit offers an international platform for sharing effective practices, emerging tools and real-world applications, including the use of artificial intelligence in our work."
REACH also announced a Joint Statement on Responsible Data Analytics, Evaluation and AI in the Research Enterprise. This statement is a collaborative guidance document led by REACH and supported by a number of national and international professional associations. Signatories to date include:
- National Council of University Research Administrators
- Society of Research Administrators International
- Canadian Association of Research Administrators
- Brazilian Association of Research Managers and Administrators
- Malaysia Association of Research Managers & Administrations
- Australasian Research Management Society
- Finnish Association of Research Managers and Administrators
The joint statement outlines the essential role of research analytics, responsible evaluation and AI in shaping a robust, ethical and future-ready research ecosystem. The statement emphasizes:
- The need for responsible, transparent governance of data used within research organizations.
- Ensuring analytics and AI tools are applied with ethical oversight, contextual understanding and institutional accountability.
- Strategic investment in expert personnel, professional development, dedicated analytics units and infrastructure to empower institutions to grow their research enterprise responsibly.
- The importance of building capacity across institutions to avoid widening gaps in analytics maturity, ensuring that all organizations - large or small - can leverage data effectively.
The joint statement also outlines guiding principles related to data accuracy, security, responsible evaluation and the ethical application of AI - elements that are foundational to REACH's goals. Learn more about the joint statement on the REACH website.
Research reported in this publication was supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation under Award No. 2444978. The opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. National Science Foundation.
