Spanish universities commit to open science
Subject: Multidisciplinary
Crue Universidades Españolas approves a document with ten specific actions to promote open science in Spain.
On 19 February, the universities associated to Crue Universidades Españolas signed a document containing ten actions to promote open science from a perspective that is “collaborative, transparent and accessible to research”.
In line with similar European institutions and associations, Spanish universities are committed to promoting open science through various lines of work.
The current state of open access publishing
One of these lines involves participation in figuring out the state of open access in Spain and monitoring its progress.
The universities are also expressing their willingness to compile and publicize the cost of accessing online resources, and are ready to analyse what transforming the current model of payment to a system of open access would entail.
Consequently, Crue Universidades Españolas is in favour of including the topic of open access publication in its negotiations with editors of scientific journals and promoting the payment of a fair price. Likewise, it hopes to foster a cultural change in research through awareness-raising and training in open science, as well as the promotion of ethical conduct.
Assessment models and recognition
The recently approved document proposes the creation of a specialist group comprising representatives of Crue Universidades Españolas and agents of the Spanish assessment system. Its aim would be to develop and promote quantitative and qualitative indicators beyond merely bibliometric ones.
As a result, the universities have agreed to implement systems of incentives and recognition for researchers, units and online projects with open science.
Open access research data
Crue Universidades Españolas is committed to rolling out a national infrastructure, shared between universities and research centres, and affiliated to the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC), for the storage, management and publication of data. Furthermore, the university association also wishes to sign up to the principles of the “EOSC Declaration”.
Monitoring open science
To analyse and monitor open science in the academic world, it proposes the establishment of a working group on the subject and giving Crue Universidades Españolas an effective presence in national and international forums.
Click here to view “Compromisos de las universidades españolas ante la Open Science” (The commitments of Spanish universities to open science)
With this step, the universities are declaring their collaboration in favour of structural change in such a way that “both research and the dissemination of results are included”.
