From September 17 to 19, 2025, the 28th Annual Conference of the DeGEval Evaluation Society took place at Saarland University in Saarbrücken under the theme “Institutionalization and Professionalization of Evaluation.” The conference was organised by DeGEval – Society for Evaluation e.V. together with the Center for Evaluation and focused on the question of how evaluation can support policymakers in their decisions with data, facts and assessments. For three days, Evaluation Experts from all over the world discussed to what extent evaluation can contribute to making projects and programs, for example, in development cooperation, environmental promotion, or migration policy, more targeted, efficient, and effective.
Since CEval at Saarland University and CEval GmbH have helped shape the development of evaluation in Germany over three decades, we are delighted that the conference took place in Saarbrücken for the first time – the home of the Center for Evaluation. Also for the first time, the conference had a dual character with a national German-language stream organized by DeGeval and an English-language international stream organized by CEval. With four panels and a keynote by Prof. Dr. Reinhard Stockmann, founder of CEval, the international stream opened the conference to global perspectives and created space for dialogue across regions, sectors, and professional communities. In the national stream, 30 forums and working group sessions covered a wide range of topics dealing with technical and sectoral issues.
We welcomed more than 300 participants from over 20 countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, North and South America, as well as numerous international organizations. This composition brought together an intensive exchange, lively debates, and groundbreaking ideas for the further development of evaluation, including in German-speaking countries.
The international stream
The sessions of the international stream presented results from the CEval Evaluation GLOBE Project, covering 50 country case studies and 11 transnational reports. The project is led by Professors Reinhard Stockmann and Wolfgang Meyer (Europe 2020; Americas 2022; Asia-Pacific 2023, and Africa 2025). A total of 137 authors contributed to this project, creating a database that is unique worldwide. Discussions centered on global trends in the institutionalization and professionalization of evaluation, as well as major drivers and challenges in the different countries and continents.
- Keynote speech: The Institutionalization of Evaluation in a Global Perspective
By Prof. Dr. Reinhard Stockmann - Kenynote Panel: Supporting and Hindering Factors for the institutionalization and use of evaluation
Chaired by Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Meyer - Sector Panel 1: The Role of Parliaments, Governments and Administration in Institutionalizing Evaluation
Chaired by Tanja Stockmann - Sector Panel 2: Contributions of Academia, Civil Society, and VOPEs to Evaluation Institutionalization
Chaired by Tanja Stockmann - Closing Panel: Stakeholder Strategies for Strengthening the Institutionalization of Evaluation
Chaired by Prof. Dr. Reinhard Stockmann
CEval GmbH Contributions
Alongside the international stream, CEval GmbH colleagues also contributed their expertise in several German-language sessions, showcasing our applied evaluation work across sectors and approaches:
- Session A2: Professionalization and Institutionalization of Evaluation in the Private and Public Sectors – Observations from Case Studies
By Dr. Stefan Silvestrini, CEO of CEval GmbH - Session A5: Potential of the RIE Funding Program to Anchor Rigorous Impact Evaluation in German Development Cooperation – Insights from an International Delphi Panel
By Dr. Susanne Johanna Väth, Dr. Hansjörg Gaus, Janis Wicke, and Matthias Klapproth, Department Head and Project Managers at CEval GmbH - Session B6: Accompanying Evaluation of Public Funding Programs
By Dr. Stefan Silvestrini, CEO and Juliane Löw, Project Manager at CEval GmbH - Session B6: Evaluating Knowledge Communication and Science-Based Policy Advice by the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation: The Case of Biodiversity Loss in Open Landscape FFH Habitat Types By Dr. Susanne Johanna Väth, Dr. Hansjörg Gaus, and Matthias Klapproth, Department Head and Project Managers at CEval GmbH.
Through these contributions, CEval GmbH demonstrated its broad experience in evaluation – from public programs to environmental policy, and from methodological innovation to practical application.
We sincerely thank all our speakers who traveled from around the world to share their valuable insights with us, and we are grateful to all participants for the thoughtful questions and lively dialogue that made the sessions so engaging.
We would also like to thank DeGEval and its staff for their organization and commitment, which made this important event possible.
Looking Ahead
The conference made it clear that the institutionalization of evaluation is a long journey – and not an easy one. But it also showed that it is precisely during these difficult times for evaluation that we need to reach out and make the significance of evaluation known to the public and stakeholders.
CEval is honored to have contributed to this important dialogue and looks forward to continuing the joint effort toward a stronger evaluation culture worldwide.
