EUTOPIA-TRAIN is a project by the EUTOPIA European University, one of the initial 17 alliances supported through the European Universities Initiative. The project has the specific task to ���design framework policies for research assessment which reflect Open Science practices and adopt a timetable for implementation���. This activity follows the the wider strategic agenda of the European Commission which has embraced quality-driven research assessment ��� in conjunction with advancing Open Science ��� as a major reform program. This briefing, written as part of the EUTOPIA-TRAIN project, serves as a brief background document for EUTOPIA partners and stakeholders in other European Universities. It explains the rationale behind research assessment reform, sketches the political momentum and stakeholder activities around research assessment reform, presents the dimensions of assessment used in recent frameworks, discusses implications for EUTOPIA, and provides a high-level overview of the activities foreseen by EUTOPIA-TRAIN in the pursuit of this activity.