LIBER, OpenAIRE, SPARC Europe, and COAR are publishing a plan of action to strengthen and future-proof research repositories in Europe.

A robust repository network is key for safeguarding Europe’s research production and advancing scientific excellence in Europe. And while currently, Europe has one of the most well-developed networks globally with hundreds of repositories, there are low levels of awareness about their important role in the ecosystem.

The IMPACT-REPO action plan aims to address this lack of visibility by articulating four key portraits of the role of repositories: Repositories for impact, inclusiveness, trust, and innovation.

ORCID, which stands for Open Researcher and Contributor ID, is a free, unique, persistent identifier (PID) for individuals to use as they engage in research, scholarship, and innovation activities. ORCID publishes the Public Data File annually, at no cost, to ensure broad access to public ORCID data. However, because the Public Data File is so large, it can be difficult to work with, inhibiting exploratory analysis.

ORCID member Digital Science is generously hosting the 2024 Public Data File on Google Big Query, making the Public Data File easily available for exploration and analysis.

SPARC Europe has announced the publication of the 2024 Annual Report, marking the completion of the strategic plan before embarking on a new one for 2025-2028.

Through the facilitation, SPARC Europe engaged over 2,500 individuals through multiple programmes and initiatives and convened scores of organisations in collaborative initiatives co-creating a more open and equitable open future for the public good.

Read the Annual Report here.

OpenAIRE, a leading European infrastructure supporting Open Science, and LA Referencia and REDClara, the Latin American federated network for open scholarly communication, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to formalize and deepen their decade-long collaboration in fostering Open Science and interoperability between Europe and Latin America.

For over ten years, LA Referencia has successfully participated in OpenAIRE projects, integrating its collection, adopting metadata standards, and incorporating OpenAIRE-developed technologies. This new MoU provides a more formalised and structured framework to expand joint technological developments, enhance interoperability standards, and share training resources on Open Science.

LA Referencia y Lyrasis se enorgullecen de anunciar el lanzamiento de un proyecto conjunto que comenzó el 1 de enero de 2025. Este proyecto está enfocado en mejorar la capacidad, accesibilidad y gestión de plataformas de código abierto en América Latina y España. La iniciativa refleja un compromiso con el avance del acceso abierto al conocimiento en estas regiones, abordando desafíos clave relacionados con el mantenimiento de repositorios, actualizaciones y soporte a los usuarios.

LA Referencia and Lyrasis are proud to announce the launch of a joint project starting on January 1, 2025, focused on improving the capacity, accessibility and management of open-source platforms across Latin America and Spain. This initiative reflects a commitment to advancing open access to knowledge in these regions by addressing key challenges in repository maintenance, upgrades and user support.

The One Nation One Subscription (ONOS) scheme, launched by the Government of India, is a groundbreaking initiative designed to provide nationwide access to the latest scholarly research articles and academic journals. This initiative aims to foster scientific research and innovation by offering affordable, country-wide access to high-quality academic content. Through ONOS, students, faculty, and researchers in universities, colleges, and research organizations will benefit from seamless access to valuable resources that drive innovation in various fields.

The publisher PLOS (Public Library of Science) announced the launch of an ambitious new project to explore new solutions for moving away from a system based essentially on articles and APCs (Article Processing Charges). The 18-month project is funded by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. PLOS seeks to play a catalytic role in transforming publishing models and thereby fostering a more inclusive, equitable, transparent and collaborative system, respecting the fundamental principles of Open Science.

Persistent Identifiers (PIDs) are vital for research, offering unique, lasting references for people, places, and things in the scholarly ecosystem. DataCite DOIs help build a transparent and robust scholarly environment by making research outputs discoverable and properly credited. Open metadata with PIDs enhances citation accuracy, linking, and discovery, ensuring proper recognition for researchers and institutions. DataCite’s efforts focus on global engagement and building a community to make research more accessible and impactful.

UNESCO has launched a call for inputs on the draft principles for open science monitoring, following the December 2023 workshop and the launch of the  Open Science Monitoring Initiative (OSMI). The consultation aims to ensure diverse perspectives are incorporated into a global vision for monitoring open science. It builds on existing initiatives at national, regional, and global levels. Inputs are welcome as commentary or proposed edits by 30 November 2024.