UNESCO has set up five working groups, each targeting key impact areas crucial for implementing the UNESCO Recommendation on Open Science (OS) adopted on 23 November 2021. While the Recommendation affirmed the importance of Open Science as a vital tool to improve the quality and accessibility of both scientific outputs and scientific processes, these working groups brought together experts and Open Science entities from various fields and domains to address distinct yet interconnected topics and challenges essential to the implementation of the Recommendation.

View the Previous News Release (WG on OS Funding and Incentives)

On May 15th, 2024, the fifth meeting of the UNESCO Working Group on Policy discussed the impact of propagation of the Open Science (OS) policies, as part of its effort to build a global repository of OS policy instruments.

Examples presented include the EMBL OS Policy that has fostered a collaborative environment with a repository, database, and office for scientific information management, leading to a 20% increase in OS uptake while maintaining 80% Open Access (OA) despite high costs. The PLOS has also seen a significant growth in OS policies over the past decade, with research data policies becoming more common. CERN was highlighted as a leader in OS with significant progress, with 96% of its publications available OA. 

Monitoring was highlighted as a key action area with the need to deploy appropriate mechanisms to measure the effectiveness and efficiency of OS policies and incentives. The OpenAIRE was presented as an example of an initiative that monitors OS uptake and impact. They enhance OS by developing impact pathways, indicators, cost-benefit analyses, and corresponding case studies. Key outputs include frameworks, a handbook of OS indicators, literature insights, case studies, training, engagement, and recommendations.

Register for upcoming UNESCO Working Groups meeting:

You can easily join the meeting by registering under the link below. 

• 3 June 2024, online, from 2-4 pm, CET: Infrastructures: Open Science and Artificial Intelligence

Recordings, related information, and material:

• The reports and recordings from the previous meeting of the Working Groups
• UNESCO Recommendation on Open Science, UNESCO, 2021
• UNESCO Open Science Toolkit

EOSC FOCUS WP2 | TU Wien for the EOSC Forum