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Open Access Infrastructure for Research in Europe

OpenAIRE

OpenAIRE is a socio-technical network that supports the implementation and monitoring of Open Science policies, including Open Access to publications and research data: • Implementation is enabled by a pan-European network of Open Access/Open Science experts – the National Open Access Desks (NOADs), present in every EU country and beyond. The NOAD’s work together to align national policies, define shared solutions and best practices. They also outreach and perform advocacy through a range of targeted training events and support materials. • Monitoring is achieved by means of an infrastructure composed of a decentralized network of data sources, namely publication repositories, data repositories, publishers, and current research information systems. By harnessing the contents of “compatible” publication and data repositories (both institutional and disciplinary) and linking them to other research entities (researchers, institutions, projects), OpenAIRE produces a 360 picture o (...)

Lobbying Activity

Response to European Research Area (ERA) Act

10 Sept 2025

The EOSC Track project welcomes the European Commissions initiative to strengthen the European Research Area (ERA) through the upcoming ERA Act. In this context, we would like to emphasize the central role of Open Science, not only as a policy principle, but as a practical and strategic enabler of a competitive, inclusive, and knowledge-driven Europe. Open Science is no longer an emerging trend; it is the operational foundation of modern research ecosystems. By promoting transparency, reproducibility, and accessibility, Open Science enhances trust in research, accelerates innovation, and enables more equitable participation in the creation and use of knowledge. However, policy ambitions alone are not enough. To fully realise this potential, Open Science must be supported not only by political commitments but also by robust mechanisms to monitor its implementation. In a knowledge-based ERA, we cannot manage what we do not measure. Evidence-based policymaking requires timely, harmonised, and comparable data on how Open Science is progressing across Europe. While important advances have been made, such as the inclusion of Open Science in the ERA Policy Agenda, there is currently no systematic and comprehensive approach to monitor its uptake and impact. Open Science monitoring remains patchy and underdeveloped. While the ERA Policy Agendas for 20222024 and 20252027 have made steps in this direction, Open Science indicators are still underrepresented in mainstream ERA-level monitoring. Therefore, we strongly encourage the ERA Act to explicitly embed Open Science monitoring as part of its governance and accountability framework. This could be done through the inclusion of a dedicated set of indicators covering the key dimensions of Open Science, such as policies, practices, infrastructure, skills, and impact. These indicators should be developed in close collaboration with Member States and Associated Countries to ensure they reflect the diversity of national contexts while enabling meaningful comparison and policy alignment. The value of such monitoring is already evident in ongoing activities coordinated with national stakeholders, where structured surveys and linked datasets are beginning to provide a clearer picture of Open Science developments (e.g. the EOSC Steering Board Monitoring on national contribution to EOSC and Open Science). These data help to identify gaps, guide strategic investments, and support mutual learning across countries. When validated and presented through open, user-friendly tools, they can also enhance transparency and public trust in science. Furthermore, systematic monitoring of Open Science contributes directly to the EUs broader goals of digital sovereignty, research security, and international cooperation. It supports the freedom of scientific research by ensuring that researchers have the means to work openly, access necessary resources, and collaborate across borders. In this spirit, we encourage the Commission to build on the momentum already created through and to formalise Open Science monitoring as a structural element of the ERA. An established framework for collecting, validating, and visualising Open Science data would serve as a foundation for ongoing evaluation, policy coordination, and progress tracking. As part of this feedback, we also attach a policy brief from the EOSC Track project that presents early lessons learned in designing and implementing a joint monitoring capacity in support of ERA objectives. This experience reflects the strong engagement of national authorities and highlights the importance of having shared tools and frameworks for Open Science assessment. We remain fully committed to supporting the European Commission and ERA governance structures with evidence-based insights on Open Science and are ready to contribute further to future consultations or legislative developments.
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Meeting with Keith Sequeira (Cabinet of Commissioner Carlos Moedas)

8 Dec 2016 · Open Science