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Catalan Strategy

Catalonia joined the open access movement early on with the creation of the cooperative repository called Tesis Doctorals en Xarxa (TDX) in 2001. Catalan universities have been pioneers in establishing institutional repositories that provide access to their scientific output and promote open access. Joint tools have also been created, such as the RACO repository for scientific and cultural journals and the Research Portal of Catalonia (PRC), which enables from a single point access to research results from all agents in the Catalan system of research, development, and innovation (R&D&I).

Over the past decade, and within the European Union under the leadership of the European Commission, various initiatives aimed at transforming scientific practices have come together under the banner of open science. In 2017, an open science committee was established within the Consorci de Serveis Universitaris de Catalunya (CSUC), while various universities and research centers were also advancing initiatives to open up science.

In 2020, Catalonia approved the National Pact for the Knowledge Society (PN@SC), a nationwide agreement that already included commitments to transparency and open science, such as the 20th commitment (to create and develop the Catalan Research Portal) and the 56th (to promote a Catalan open science strategy). The Pact includes the commitment to foster a Catalan open science strategy encompassing open access to scientific publications, the FAIR publication of scientific data, the creation of new infrastructures to integrate resources from Catalonia’s research system into the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC), and policies for responsible research and innovation.

The Science Act 9/2022, unanimously approved on December 21, 2022, by the Parliament of Catalonia, aims to establish a dedicated open science policy for agents within Catalonia’s public-sector research, development, and innovation system. This policy is designed to be compatible with those of the most advanced countries and sets out the strategic guidelines to follow.

These strategic guidelines are incorporated into the Catalan Open Science Strategy: Sharing Knowledge, which was approved by the Interdepartmental Commission for Research and Innovation (CIRI) in early 2024. The key pillars are:

  • Open access to scientific publications: The goal is for all publications from the Catalan research system, resulting from publicly funded activities, to be immediately available in open access on a publishing platform, repository, journal, or book.
  • Research data management: The aim is to publish research data as openly as possible, following the FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) to ensure preservation, reuse, and the development of best practices in data management.
  • Availability of open science infrastructures: This involves enhancing existing infrastructures and creating new ones to integrate the resources of Catalonia’s research, development, and innovation system into the European Open Science Cloud ecosystem.
  • Skills and competencies: Ensuring that all individuals within the research, development, and innovation system are trained in the principles of open science.
  • Incentives and rewards: Establishing an incentive and reward system that recognizes not only the publication of results but also the activities throughout the research cycle that promote open science principles.
  • Open knowledge for society: Empowering society to participate actively, competently, and responsibly in research and innovation activities.

The Catalan Open Science Strategy also includes measures and indicators to improve research practices and increase the social impact of science. It aligns with the European Commission’s policy on access to and preservation of scientific information.

Check the Catalan Strategy on Open Science