Why is the Finnish Career Assessment Matrix needed?
Decisions based on researcher assessment affect recruitments, career advancement and research funding, among others. This is why it is important to recognise the diversity of a researcher’s work and assess their merits as a whole, rather than relying solely on quantitative indicators.
The FIN-CAM was developed to provide a common assessment framework for research organisations, helping them to apply the principles of responsible researcher assessment in practice. The tool provides support for planning assessments, producing transparent assessment criteria, and ensuring that the different aspects of a researcher’s work are accounted for in the assessment appropriately and consistently.
Developed in cooperation with the research community
The FIN-CAM tool is being developed by the Federation of Finnish Learned Societies in cooperation with research organisations, research funders and other actors in the research community. The development work is guided by a TSV-appointed Steering Group, the objective of which is to ensure that the tool meets the research community's needs and supports various assessment practices. Practical preparatory work is carried out by a working group appointed by the Steering Group.
The FIN-CAM tool is being developed in stages based on user experiences, feedback and the changing needs of the research community. The aim is to develop a tool that can be used flexibly across different assessment situations, fields of science and organisations.
What is the tool based on?
The FIN-CAM tool builds on existing research assessment frameworks developed both in Finland and internationally. The goal has been to develop a practical tool for Finnish research organisations, grounded in the principles of responsible researcher assessment.
Finnish background materials included:
- Template for researcher’s curriculum vitae produced by the Finnish National Board on Research Integrity (TENK)
- University of Turku Policy for responsible assessment of research and researcher
- Principles for the assessment of research and researchers at the University of Oulu
International frameworks included:
- NOR-CAM (Norwegian Career Assessment Matrix)
- OS-CAM (Open Science Career Assessment Matrix)
- European Commission's ResearchComp competence framework
- The Royal Society's Résumé for Researchers
Based on these models, the FIN-CAM was developed to meet the needs of the Finnish research community and support responsible assessment practices in research organisations.
The design of the tool was also based on a survey on diversity of career assessment criteria addressed at researchers by TSV in 2023. The survey examined the types of merits that should be accounted for in researcher assessment. Based on the survey responses, using the same assessment criteria in all assessment situations is not appropriate, and the criteria should be selected according to the purpose of the assessment.
Read more about the survey: Researchers' views on diversity of career assessment criteria in Finland: a survey report
The FIN-CAM contains a wide range of examples that reflect the diversity of researcher’s work. A draft version of the tool was circulated for commenting among the research community in early 2025. Based on these models, the survey and consultation of the research community, an assessment tool was built that accounts for the needs of the Finnish research community and supports the development of responsible assessment in research organisations.
Further development
The FIN-CAM tool is being developed in cooperation with the research community. User experiences and feedback guide its further development, and the aim is to improve both its usability and its applicability to different assessment situations.
English and Swedish versions of the tool will also be published, enabling its wider use in Finnish research organisations and international cooperation.
International cooperation
The development of the researcher assessment tool was supported with EU CoARA Boost funding in 2025–2026. The aim of the project was to promote the introduction of the tool in different research organisations, to develop its application in different assessment situations, and to step up cooperation, especially with Nordic actors. The project also developed the online implementation of the tool.
The project was coordinated by the Federation of Finnish Learned Societies together with Lapland University of Applied Sciences and the University of Turku. International cooperation makes it possible to share experiences, compare assessment practices and develop the tool as part of broader development of responsible researcher assessment in Europe.