On April 8th a webinar on the importance of scientific collections and open science – competences for politics, culture, science and art in Austria was held. The event was co-hosted by the Natural History Museum Vienna (NHM), the EOSC Support Office Austria, the Austrian Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research (BMBWF), and the European project Skills4EOSC, which aims to build an inclusive and sustainable ecosystem for Open Science training across the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC).
The event began with opening remarks from representatives of NHM, the EOSC Support Office Austria, BMBWF, and the Skills4EOSC project. A keynote presentation offered insights into the European landscape of Open Science, highlighting the importance of cross-border cooperation, common standards, and the development of core competencies to enable a culture of openness across disciplines.
The Skills4EOSC team from the NHM then introduced its approach to capacity-building through practical training materials. Participants were given an in-depth look at courses focusing on evidence-informed decision-making, Open Science policy implementation, and FAIR data management. These modular training resources are designed to be adaptable to diverse institutional needs and national contexts.
The second half of the event was devoted to showcasing Austrian initiatives. Representatives from various institutions—including funding agencies, cultural heritage institutions, and applied research organizations—shared their perspectives on the current status and future of Open Science in Austria. Topics ranged from national data strategies and legal frameworks to the role of citizen science and sector-specific data spaces.
As Open Science continues to evolve, events like this are essential for aligning local efforts with European goals and for empowering researchers and institutions to navigate the changing research landscape.
The event demonstrated the importance and value of various institutions and initiatives from different fields of activity and expertise maintaining a dialogue and jointly considering the topic of Open Science and Open Collections for our future.