The High Council for the Evaluation of Research and Higher Education (HCERES), created by the Law No. 2013-660 of July 22nd, 2013 relative to higher education and research, has replaced the AERES as from November 17th, 2014. 

Spurred on by its President, the HCERES is composed by:

• The High Council Board appointed by decree for four years; this is made up of 30 French, European or international members. The Board guarantees the quality, transparency and publicity of evaluation procedures.

• The three evaluation structures (for institutions, research units, programmes and degrees) are each run by a head who is appointed by the HCERES Board. He or she organises the structure’s work, particularly as regards the writing of evaluation reports. 

•  It also includes an Observatory of Science and Technologies (OST) responsible for strategic research and analysis.

• The HCERES has 210 staff, including 106 scientific delegates (researchers and professors). Working full or part time, these delegates are tasked with the scientific organisation of evaluations under the authority of the department head.

• The HCERES also calls on some 4,500 French and foreign experts every year to help with conducting its evaluations. 

The law tasks the HCERES with the following missions: 

• evaluating HEIs and groupings, research bodies, scientific cooperation foundations and the French National Research Agency, or, where applicable, overseeing the quality of evaluations carried out by other bodies;

• evaluating research units on request from the overseeing institution, in the absence of validation of evaluation procedures or in the absence of a decision by the overseeing institution to use another evaluation body, or, where applicable, to have research unit evaluation procedures validated by other bodies;

• evaluating the programmes and degrees offered by higher education institutions or, where applicable, validating evaluation procedures developed by other bodies;

• ensuring that all missions defined by law and the specific status of higher education and research personnel is taken into account in their evaluations;

• ensuring that activities relating to the dissemination of scientific, technical and industrial culture are properly taken into account in the career progression of higher education and research personnel;

• conducting a posteriori evaluation of investment programmes and private bodies receiving public funding intended for research or higher education. 

Based on the three principles: independency, transparency and impartiality, the HCERES evaluates each year about 50 HE institutions, 600 research units and 1000 HE programmes and degrees.

The HCERES is member of the European Association for Quality Assurance (ENQA), the International Network for Quality Assurance Agencies (INQAAHE) and the European University Association (EUA). It is registered in the European Quality Assurance Register (EQAR). It carries out its’ missions in accordance with key values, specified in its evaluation charter and with the European Standards and Guidelines (ESG).