Evaluation of research performance has significantly increased in importance, particularly in many emerging higher education systems. In Malaysia, the Malaysian Research Assessment (MyRA) was developed to evaluate the research performance of universities and Research Centres of Excellence (RCoEs). This paper reports on a participatory action research approach aimed at developing a new framework for measuring research performance of Malaysian RCoEs. The introduction provides the contexts leading to the development and adoption of the MyRA including the challenges and its appropriateness as a tool for evaluating the research performance of relatively smaller entities namely, RCoEs. A stepwise approach in developing an alternative system of assessment for RCoEs is then described, leading to a list of prioritised components and criteria for the newly proposed tool. Finally, some of the wider implications of the new assessment framework are discussed, including the applicability to other contexts, lessons learned, and the contribution to the literature.

研究绩效评估的重要性显着增加，尤其是在许多新兴的高等教育系统中。在马来西亚，马来西亚研究评估 (MyRA) 旨在评估大学和卓越研究中心 (RCoE) 的研究表现。本文报告了一种参与式行动研究方法，旨在开发一个衡量马来西亚 RCoE 研究绩效的新框架。引言提供了导致开发和采用 MyRA 的背景，包括挑战及其作为评估相对较小实体（即 RCoE）研究绩效的工具的适当性。然后描述了为 RCoE 开发替代评估系统的逐步方法，生成新提议工具的优先组件和标准列表。最后，讨论了新评估框架的一些更广泛的影响，包括对其他环境的适用性、经验教训以及对文献的贡献。