On September 25, 2025, a comprehensive presentation of the CoARA Boost Institutional Pilot project was delivered to the Rector and the university leadership at Ilia State University. This included members of the Rectorate, the Head of Administration, and the Deans.

The presentation outlined the project's progress, key findings, and emerging challenges, with a particular emphasis on institutional governance, incentive mechanisms, and the integration of research assessment into strategic planning. The discussion underscored the necessity of moving away from metric-driven approaches toward more qualitative, participatory, and context-sensitive models of evaluation.

The university leadership expressed strong interest in the project’s outcomes and emphasized the importance of maintaining dialogue and fostering institutional learning as part of ongoing efforts to reform research assessment.