Open Science in Slovakia
Open Science
There is no signle definition of open science. UNESCO defines it as a set of principles and practices that aim to make scientific research from all fields accessible to everyone for the benefits of scientists and society as a whole (UNESCO). In a nutshell, Open Science is transparent and accessible knowledge that is shared and developed through collaborative networks (Vicente-Sáez&Martínez-Fuentes 2018).
More information and resources on opens science in English at:
UNESCO Recommendation on Open Science
Open Science Training Handbook
Open Science in Slovakia
In 2016, the Contact Office of Open Access was established at the Slovak Centre of Scientific and Technical Information (the SCSTI). The office plays a vital role as a national coordinator and methodological body for open science in Slovakia. One of the office’s activities is raising awareness about open science and open access to research results and outcomes. The office also organizes targeted training activities for librarians and researchers at universities and research institutions. Moreover, it fulfils the tasks arising from international projects in which the SCSTI participates.
The Contact Office of Open Access regularly informs about the development of open science and open access to research results and outcomes in Slovakia. Furthermore, it supports the involvement of the public in research activities through citizen sciences initiatives.
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The SCSTI represents Slovakia in different international and academic organisations and associations that promote open science methods and open access to research results and outcomes (e.g., LIBER, IATUL, OpenAIRE).
The SCSTI is the National Open Access Desk (NOAD)–a national contact office for open access in OpenAIRE, the National Reference Point for the European Commission and a memberof the EOSC association (European Open Science Cloud).
In 2021, the Slovak government approved the National Strategy for Open Science for 2021-2028, which aims to make the primary outputs of publicly funded research, publications, and data available to the public in a digital format with no or minimal restrictions, using public licenses. The objectives of the strategy will be gradually fulfilled in two-year action plans. The first one is the Action Plan for Open Science for 2021-2022, with other plans that will follow after the evaluation of this period. The National Strategy creates a space for implementing open science principles in the Slovak scientific ecosystem. The National Strategy and the Action Plan are the documents that define the necessary tasks and set the basic direction for developing Slovak science in this area.
The promotion of open science in Slovakia and the implementation of the National Strategy and the Action Plan are managed by the Working Group for Open Science, whose members are the representatives of the CSTI SR and the scientific and academic community in Slovakia.
An integral part of the open science movement is an effort to transform science assessment. In 2021, a national document, the Declaration on Fostering the Culture of Scientific Integrity in Slovakia, was published. The Declaration was signed by thirty signatories at a ceremony at Bratislava Castle. The event was organised under the auspices of Zuzana Čaputová, President of the Slovak Republic. The document was created by the professional community in cooperation with the Centre for Scientific and Technical Information of the Slovak Republic, an organization of the Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport of the Slovak Republic.
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The SCSTI also hosted an event, “National Perspectives on Research Assessment Reform,” to present the “Agreement on Reforming Research Assessment“, developed by the European Commission together with academic and scientific associations, universities, and researchers. The event was organised by the SCSTI, the Slovak Rectors’ Conference, and the European University Association.