IFPEN’s research divisions are evaluated every four years, by an evaluation college, made up of members of IFPEN’s Scientific Board and outside experts, with the support of IFPEN’s Scientific Management.
The evaluation process is aimed at:
- establishing an assessment of the research activities and scientific and technical production of the Research Division (RD) evaluated covering the previous four years,
- making recommendations concerning the scientific activities that should be implemented by the RD over the subsequent four years, within the frameworks of IFPEN’s scientific policy and medium/long-term plan.
The college establishes its evaluation and recommendations on the basis of a self-evaluation report compiled by the Research Division evaluated and a full-day evaluation meeting involving presentations, laboratory visits and discussions with the college. The college then writes up an evaluation report, which is discussed with General Management.
General Management uses this process as a platform to effect changes within the Research Divisions, in line with IFPEN’s ambitions and scientific strategy, specifying in a concluding note a plan of action to be implemented over the next four years.
Progress is reviewed every 5 years in a mid-term assessment after two years and a half.
«In order to stay ahead of the game, it is important to constantly innovate and maintain the highest level of scientific excellence. Regular self-evaluation is thus vital in order to understand our positioning and performances», specifies Grégoire Allaire, Chairman of the Scientific Board.
In addition, during these evaluations, a scientific profile analysis is conducted to establish statistics relating to the impact of each division’s research, the quality of its partnerships, its publications and patents, and the number of theses. The fields in which IFPEN is a key player are also clearly identified.
For example, these evaluations make it possible to highlight the fact that IFPEN is ranked 3rd globally in terms of publications dedicated to hydrotreatment and conversion process modeling, and 1st for LES applied to engines!