Open Science is a critical step towards modernizing how we produce, disseminate, and apply scientific knowledge. It addresses all major issues within the conventional research model, including limited access to outcomes, lack of transparency in the process, and difficulties validating the results. The transition to Open Science fights off these challenges by providing free and equal access to scientific information, ensuring transparency, and facilitating the reproducibility of research. Since 2005, the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA) has led Greece by developing significant initiatives and strategic collaborations to promote Open Science.
NKUA’s main partner in this journey has been ‘Athena’ Research Centre. Together, they have implemented many European and national projects that shaped infrastructures, services, and tools, such as open access and research data management platforms (e.g., OpenAIRE, HELIX). Notably, OpenAIRE, coordinated by the ‘Athena’ Research Centre, is a key leader in advancing Open Science across more than 50 countries, thereby positioning Greece as a central player in the global effort to ensure free and equal access to scientific outcomes.
Today, NKUA reaffirms its commitment by joining the Hellenic Open Science Initiative (HOSI), an alliance of top academic and research Institutions. HOSI aims to support the coordinated and participatory implementation of Open Science policies in Greece and contribute to the alignment between the country and the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC). The ultimate goal is to increase the presence of the Greek scientific community within the European and global landscapes of open knowledge and digital research, thus bringing about a profound change in the identity of scientific activity across both Greece and Europe.
At the same time, NKUA actively engages in the European research assessment reform by supporting the CoARA Agreement (Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment), which includes over 800 Institutions worldwide. Launched by the European Commission, this initiative aims to transform how we assess researchers and Institutions, acknowledging the importance of producing and managing research data, collaborating, providing guidance, and interacting with society and the citizens.
NKUA further strengthens its commitment to Open Science through specific actions, including i. the creation of educational programmes aimed at the academic community, specifically focusing on Open Access and Open Science, ii. the active participation in the Open Access policies developed by the Hellenic Academic Libraries Link (HEAL Link) and the European University Alliance CIVIS, of which NKUA is a founding member, iii. the upgrade of the PERGAMOS digital repository with functionalities for submitting and managing research data and outcomes, and iv. the integration of open access journals edited by research teams comprising members from the University community into the NKUA’s e-Publishing system.
NKUA’s strategy for the future concentrates on embedding Open Science principles throughout the entire research and education cycle, in alignment with the Greek National Plan for Open Science, while also strengthening the political dimension of knowledge and enabling decision-making based on well-documented data. The goal is to create an environment that equips students, researchers, and academics with the digital skills they need to excel, foster interdisciplinarity, and drive innovation in the country.
Envisioning a future where scientific knowledge is accessible to all while research is applied and assessed using qualitative methods, NKUA, in collaboration with the ‘Athena’ Research Centre and the partners from the Hellenic Open Science Initiative, continues to invest dynamically in Open Science, thereby making a decisive contribution to shaping a more just, transparent, and efficient research landscape in the digital world.
Recent events: https://www.hellenicopenscience.gr/el/blog-1-el/3o-symposio-anoiktes-epistemes-sten-ellada-1-1
