The peer-mentorship exchange platform, PEP-CV, has officially launched, providing a space for creating mentorships to support the writing of narrative-style CVs. This initiative is a collaboration between six research funding agencies, including Science Foundation Ireland (SFI), the Marie Curie Alumni Association (MCAA), and the Young Academy of Europe (YAE) to provide support for the global research and innovation community in presenting the diverse set of experiences, achievements, and careers in the format of narrative-style CVs.

PEP-CV is a free and open resource available to everyone in the Research & Innovation sector, buttressing existing guidance on narrative-style CVs, while supporting efforts to further develop their use and implementation globally. To this end, the PEP-CV platform aims to support the broader recognition of activities and outputs in research, in line with ongoing responsible research assessment initiatives such as the Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA) and the Coalition on Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA).

The MCAA is the host and administrator of the PEP-CV Platform. All queries concerning PEP-CV should be directed to Pooja Khurana, the PEP-CV community manager: PEP-CV@mariecuriealumni.eu.

PEP-CV will be an open resource to bring the community together and provide peer-mentoring: Many funders, including SFI, and institutions around the world, have implemented narrative-style CVs in their evaluation processes. However, feedback from researchers underscores the need for further guidance and understanding of how best to articulate non-traditional, diverse research outputs and experiences. Individual peer-to-peer mentoring on how to select and present achievements and experiences in a narrative-style CV will augment currently available resources, further supporting individuals throughout their career.

The platform is a collaboration between six funding agencies (SFI, FNR, NWO, SNSF, UKRI, Wellcome) and two researcher groups (MCAA and YAE). The funders involved already mandate the use of narrative-style CVs in relevant funding programme calls. As more researchers write and evaluate a broader set of achievements and experiences via the medium of the narrative-style CV, more mentors will join and help grow the platform.

PEP-CV will benefit mentees and mentors: Through fostering mentorship exchanges, PEP-CV will provide added value for mentors, mentees, and supporting institutions/organisations. Mentors will engage in global networking and mutual learning through their activities, while building their CV and mentorship experience. Mentees will learn to craft a more effective narrative-style CV, highlighting the strengths of their individual profiles and receiving insight from experienced colleagues. Both mentors and mentees will foster a more equitable, diverse, and inclusive research and innovation environment, in line with the goals and objectives of the SFI External Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Strategy 2023-2028.

PEP-CV aligns with SFI’s ongoing commitments to responsible research assessment, including CoARA and DORA: SFI became a signatory of the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA) in 2019 and, as such, is aligning its review and evaluation processes with DORA principles. In January 2022, SFI reinforced its existing commitment to the core principles by joining DORA as a member. To this end, all types of research output are recognised, and SFI is committed to assessing the quality and impact of research through means other than journal-based metrics and research performance-based metrics such as impact factors and H-index. To complement these activities and further reinforce SFI’s commitment to the overarching objectives of the Narrative CV, during 2022, SFI became a signatory to the Agreement on Reforming Research Assessment and thus became a member of the Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA).

For further information, including SFI’s Guidance for Applicants on the SFI Narrative CV and an associated FAQ document, please see the Narrative CVs and DORA page of the SFI website. These guidance documents are part of an ongoing consultation process with the research community and, as such, are subject to continuous updates. These documents provide helpful guidance, including examples of research outputs under each of the prescribed narrative headings on the SFI Narrative CV template, in addition to detail concerning journal and research productivity metrics which are not permitted.

By contributing to the PEP-CV Platform, SFI is further reinforcing its commitment to the overarching objectives of the Narrative CV, as well as supporting our existing commitments to DORA and CoARA.

For specific questions regarding SFI’s Narrative CV template or Guidance for Applicants and FAQ document, please contact researchpolicy@sfi.ie.