All researchers aspire to achieve international acclaim, and to make a difference, through innovation and excellent research. Institutions drive success through the performance of these individuals, expressed by measures such as citations and award volume, and also demonstrate financial return on investment, such as by licensing income, spin-off activity, and societal impact. No research can be assessed in isolation, but only within the global context. This session explores a collaboration of eight highly successful research universities to agree upon a manageable set of metrics (Snowball Metrics) that capture the strategic aspects of research performance and that are based on consistent data. Speakers will explore how this bottom-up approach has led to comparative metrics that support benchmarking against peers. This interactive session will address the following challenges from the viewpoints of several stakeholders: Can competing universities collaborate to build a standard framework underpinning their strategic decision-making? Does a bottom-up approach to reaching consensus in data and metrics standards achieve traction more effectively than a top-down approach? How should universities build on other work to define standards, such as CASRAI data vocabularies and CERIF data format? How can Snowball Metrics fulfill the demands of others, including sponsors and policymakers, to demonstrate the value of research?