EOSC is a key element of the EU's Open Science Policy. It is recognised as one of the Common European Data Spaces and is therefore a main component of the European Strategy for Data, enhancing the EU’s leadership in the global data economy.
Open Science is at the centre of European research policy. Policies, initiatives and structures are developed and implemented to open up European science and research to make them more efficient and productive, seamless, transparent and robust as well as responsive to policy and society's needs and expectations.
The objective is to bring Europe in the best position to reap the benefits of Open Science by opening up the research system between scientists and between disciplines, as well as towards society as a whole. Open Science is also facilitating sharing and collaboration, thereby accelerating the discovery process, improving research quality, and making science more impactful and central to human and societal development.
This requires bringing down barriers, developing incentives, and enabling data-intensive science and massive knowledge sharing, as well as promoting a scientific approach in public debate.
Embracing Open Science as the modus operandi of research requires both to improve the practice of Open Science and to develop the enablers of Open Science.
Practices notably include:
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Providing immediate and unrestricted open access to scientific publications, research data, models, algorithms, software, protocols, notebooks, workflows, and all other research outputs.
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Research output management: Publications, data, and other outputs - in line with FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) principles.
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Early and open sharing of research:
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Pre-registration, registered reports, data deposition in shared repositories, pre-prints.
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Ensuring verifiability and reproducibility of research outputs.
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Open collaboration within science and with other knowledge producers/users, including citizens, civil society, and end users.
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Enablers notably include:
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Incentives and rewards to adopt Open Science practices, including the initiative for Reforming Research Assessment, promoted by the Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA).
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Legislative and regulatory environment for practising Open Science:
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An EU data, copyright and digital legislative framework fit for research, following action 2 of the European Research Area Policy Agenda 2022-2024.
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Code of Practice on the Management of Intellectual Assets for Knowledge Valorisation, to manage intellectual assets in a way that enables Open Science and open innovation.
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Horizon Europe provisions on Open Access and Open Science practices.
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Open research infrastructures and skills:
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The European Open Science Cloud (EOSC).
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Open Research Europe - An Open Access publishing platform for Commission-funded research.
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Support for skills and education for practising Open Science and FAIR research data management.
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