The Open Science strategy of UAB and commitments
The Open Science strategy at UAB
Open Science is a priority for the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB). In its Strategic Plan 2030, it emphasises the role that the university wants to play as an agent of transformation of society, promoting the exchange of knowledge to respond to the great social challenges and demands.
To achieve this objective, it is essential to articulate an Open Knowledge environment where knowledge and data are shared with the relevant actors in the system, from the most local to the international context. This is one of the clearest manifestations of the University's openness towards society, which makes it a key aspect and a fundamental value.
On the other hand, an Open Science environment contributes to the improvement of the quality, efficiency and responsiveness of teaching, research and innovation.
And for this reason, the UAB supports all Open Science practices by closely following both European Commission policies and national policies, either by providing training, platforms, infrastructures or advice.
The UAB encourages the whole community to promote the use of the open science strategy, and especially in the case of research, to use it to ensure that its results are disseminated and used by society, transferred to other research environments or, if appropriate, commercialised.
There is no doubt that the transition to open science involves undertaking systemic, cultural and technical reforms, affecting assessment criteria and processes, as well as the way teaching, research and innovation are carried out. UAB understands the commitment to open science as a shared responsibility, recognising that a successful transition will require a concerted effort by all members of the university community.
UAB has implemented and continues to make progress in implementing the axes of open science. In the portal "Open Science UAB" you can find the initiatives that are being promoted at the institutional level.
UAB commitments
As an institution committed to Open Science, and in order to advance in the adoption of the open science strategy at UAB, the following points are proposed:
- Create a strategic group to decide the actions to be carried out in the framework of the UAB Open Science Plan. The group will be composed of research, teaching and administration and services staff.
- Raise awareness and provide training through workshops, seminars and training sessions to make the university community aware of the principles and benefits of open science.
- Develop policies to encourage and promote open science practices in a comprehensive way in the university, all the axes described in the UAB Open Science Plan.
- Enhance collaboration and interdisciplinary research, facilitating collaborative environments and promoting the exchange of data and methodologies between departments, and with societal actors.
- Provide resources and support for open science initiatives, such as funding for open access publishing, data storage and software licensing, as well as advice on data management and the use of methodologies such as citizen science.
- Collaborate with other universities and organisations that are already adopting open science to share best practices and resources and to continuously improve the adoption of open science.