Open Science Practices in the Western Balkans
The open science practices in the Western Balkans (WB) have been introduced to mimic developments in the European Union over the last five years.
The Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) established the Working Group on Open Science in 2017 to promote the adoption of open science policies and associated measures in the WB.
A year before, WB Joined the European Open Science Agenda in 2016.
- EC expert group on National Points of Reference on Access to and Preservation of Scientific Information, and reported on developments in WB economies.
- Major positive developments in Montenegro – a national Programme for implementation of open science principles; Serbia – a national open science policy (Open Science Platform) in 2018.
- In 2020 - “Open Access Research Infrastructure in the Western Balkans Support Programme” to assist development of research infrastructures in the region.
- Open Access policies for selected RIs in the region,
- train management, administrative and research staff to introduce principles of Open Access to their RIs.
- 2020 Protocol on Open Access to Research Infrastructures in the Western Balkans
- 2021 Established “Network of Open Research Infrastructures in the Western Balkans” - mobility of researchers and encourage cooperation between academia and industry.
Future
- Capacity building in the region
- Building on success stories and furthering open science practices in the region
- Supporting open science practitioners in certain fields – editorial teams scholarly journals.
- Follow UNESCO Recommendation on Open Science
- Communication and Recommendation to the Member States on access to and preservation of scientific information in the digital age through the Working Groups on Open Science