26th July 2023
IReL is pleased to announce that OpenAIRE has been awarded the contract to develop a National Open Access Monitor, based on public open data, to analyse and track progress towards 100% open access in Ireland. This contract results from an open tender run by IReL with Education Procurement Services. The work to be delivered also includes a report which provides a baseline analysis of the state of open access (OA) in Ireland, both from an overall perspective and domain-level; investigates the accuracy and viability of the data on current Irish OA publishing output; and documents challenges that should be addressed in long-term monitoring solutions and recommends steps to be taken, including workflows for data validation and enrichment. The contract is for a one-year period with the potential to renew.
“With the development of this monitor Ireland is joining several other EU countries who are leading the way in terms of laying the foundation for monitoring Open Science globally. At a national level, this monitor will not only measure our progress towards 100% OA but also help inform targeted actions to achieve OA in a sustainable and equitable manner.” (Susan Reilly, IReL Director)
“A reliable and transparent national monitoring mechanism will enable all stakeholders to track progress towards 100% Open Access to research publications, which is one of the key objectives outlined in Ireland’s National Action Plan for Open Research. NORF looks forward to the development of this monitor and encourages national stakeholders to follow and engage with the project as it progresses.” (Daniel Bangert, National Open Research Coordinator, NORF)
“OpenAIRE is pleased to join IReL and NORF in the development of Ireland’s National Open Access Monitor, a project that directly reflects our foundational mission of advancing Open Science. We aim to provide a sustainable solution that caters to the distinct needs of all stakeholders, from researchers and institutions to policymakers and funders. Besides tracking progress, this effort is also about deciphering the complexities of open access, pinpointing potential areas for improvement, and empowering stakeholders to make informed, strategic decisions.” (Natalia Manola, OpenAIRE CEO)
An introductory webinar for stakeholders will be held in September. Please join the National Open Access Monitor Project mailing list for details of this webinar, and ongoing project updates, news and actions for stakeholders: https://listserv.heanet.ie/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=NATIONAL-OA-MONITOR-UPDATES&A=1. For more information, please contact Dr Catherine Ferris, Project Manager, National Open Access Monitor Project, IReL, Maynooth University: catherine.ferris@mu.ie.
Context: in 2022, the National Open Research Forum (NORF) awarded funding to six collaborative projects to implement priority actions in Ireland’s National Action Plan for Open Research 2022-2030. By building national capacity and infrastructure for open research, these projects support the visibility and impact of Irish research and help progress Ireland’s strategic goals for research and innovation under Impact 2030. Development of the National Open Access Monitor is one of the priority actions and the funding for management of the project was awarded to IReL. The tender requirements for the National Open Access Monitor and a definition for open access in this context were both defined following consultation with national stakeholders. The impact of the project will be to enable both point-in-time and longitudinal monitoring of the open access status of Irish research publications as part of national implementation and monitoring of open research practices.
About NORF: Ireland’s National Open Research Forum (NORF) was established in 2017 to drive the Irish agenda for open research. NORF provides a space for communication, consultation and cooperation among key stakeholders in the research system regarding strategic issues and overarching policies and procedures in open research. NORF developed Ireland’s National Framework on the Transition to an Open Research Environment (2019) and the National Action Plan for Open Research 2022-2030.
About IReL: IReL is the e-resource licensing consortium for Irish publicly funded higher education institutions and the lead organisation for the Irish ORCID Consortium. Since 2004, the IReL service (hosted by Maynooth University) has expanded from providing access to quality peer-reviewed online research publications and index & abstracting services, to facilitating open access publishing agreements, and managing the Irish ORCID Consortium.
About OpenAIRE: Established in 2018, OpenAIRE AMKE is a non-profit organization that emerged from a series of European Commission projects initiated in 2009. Our mission focuses on promoting open scholarly communication across Europe through adherence to international standards, policy advocacy, and capacity-building in the Open Science sector. OpenAIRE provides a portfolio of services, each designed to meet the diverse Open Science needs of various stakeholders. The OpenAIRE Graph, a robust and open scientific knowledge database, serves as the cornerstone of these services and forms the bedrock of our initiatives.