Implementation of the UNESCO Recommendation on Open Science
With the adoption of this Recommendation, Member States have embraced the culture and practice of open science and agreed to report back every four years on their progress. They have also expressed their desire to keep the process of implementation of the Recommendation as inclusive, transparent and consultative as the process leading to its development.
Member States are encouraged to prioritize the following areas in their implementation of the 2021 UNESCO Recommendation on Open Science:
- Promoting a common understanding of open science and its associated benefits and challenges, as well as the diverse paths to open science
- Developing an enabling policy environment for open science
- Investing in infrastructure and services which contribute to open science
- Investing in training, education, digital literacy and capacity-building, to enable researchers and other stakeholders to participate in open science
- Fostering a culture of open science and aligning incentives for open science
- Promoting innovative approaches to open science at different stages of the scientific process
- Promoting international and multistakeholder cooperation in the context of open science with a view to reducing digital, technological and knowledge gaps.
Implementation Strategy
The Recommendation will be implemented through:
- Open Science Steering Committee
Strategic guidance and oversight - Global Open Science Partnership
Technical advice and guidance - Open Science Working Groups
Inputs into technical deliverables - Intersectoral Task Team
- Coordination and secretarial support
UNESCO has also developed a Toolkit to support the implementation of the Recommendation.
Open science working groups
UNESCO convened 5 ad-hoc Working Groups focusing on key impact areas, bringing together experts and open science entities, organizations and institutions, according to their field of activity and expertise:
Collating information about available training modules on open science for different open science actors to map existing resources, identify the gaps and work to fill those gaps.
- 1st meeting, 12 May 2022
- Mapping open science capacity building and training modules Contribute to this mapping effort: share information about training materials using this form. The form is available in English, French and Spanish.
- 2nd meeting, 26 September 2022
- 3rd meeting, 20 February 2023
- 4th meeting, 15 February 2024
See joint meetings for details
- 5th meeting, Thursday 4 April 2024, 2 - 4 pm Paris time (CET)
The meeting will focus on the potential development of a global skills and competencies framework for open science, as included in the Recommendation on Open Science.
Global repository of open science policies and policy instruments
- 1st meeting, 23 May 2022
- 2nd meeting, 5 September 2022
- 3rd meeting, 3 April 2023
- 4th meeting, 15 February 2024
See joint meetings for details
- 5th meeting, Wednesday 15 May 2024, 2-4 pm Paris time (CET)
The group will discuss ways to assess the impact of policy and policy instruments pertaining to open science.
Proposals for regional and thematic open science funding mechanisms and recommendations for revision of the current research careers assessments and evaluation criteria
- 1st meeting, 9 June 2022
- 2nd meeting, 20 September 2022
- 3rd meeting, 15 March 2023
- 4th meeting, 15 February 2024
See joint meetings for details
- 5th meeting, Tuesday 30 April 2024, 2-4 pm Paris time (CET)
The group will discuss the desirability and feasibility of a Global Open Science Fund.
Mapping and gaps analysis for international, regional and thematic open science platforms for sharing of knowledge and best practices. Specific focus will be on thematic platforms in UNESCO’s priority areas, including biodiversity, water, disaster risk reduction, geosciences, ocean sciences, climate change…
- 1st meeting, 7 July 2022
- 2nd meeting, 30 September 2022
- 3rd meeting, 2 March 2023
- 4th meeting, 15 February 2024
See joint meetings for details
- 5th meeting, Monday 3 June 2024, 2-4 pm Paris time (CET)
The meeting will focus on open science and artificial intelligence.
Global monitoring framework for open science
- 1st meeting, 15 September 2022
- 2nd meeting, 16 January 2023
- 3rd meeting, 06 July 2023
- 4th meeting, 15 February 2024
See joint meetings for details
- 5th meeting, Wednesday 17 April 2024, 2–4 pm Paris time (CET)
The meeting will focus on a set of draft principles of open science monitoring.
- 4th meeting and Open Science Outlook, 15 February 2024
- Meeting on “Open Science: Updates and Progress”, 5 March 2024
You can join the group(s) you are interested in contributing to, by registering for the upcoming meetings or sending your request to openscience@unesco.org.
Open Science Steering Committee
The UNESCO Global Open Science Steering Committee is convened by the UNESCO Director-General to assist her in the implementation of the 2021 UNESCO Recommendation on Open Science.
The role of the Steering Committee is to identify key opportunities and challenges in the implementation of the Recommendation and to provide guidance and oversight of the progress made in each region of the world and by different open science actors.
Group I (Western European and North American States)
- Ms Hanne Monclair
Specialist Director, Department for Higher Education, Research and International Affairs, Ministry of Education and Research, Norway - Mr Yaşar Tonta
Professor, Department of Information Management, Hacettepe University, Türkiye
Group II (Eastern European States)
- Ms Jitka Dobbersteinová
Support Manager, Department for Open Science, Slovak Centre of Scientific and Technical Information, Slovakia - Ms Nigar Babakhanova
Associate Professor, Mahammad Fuzuli Institute of Manuscripts, Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences, Azerbaijan
Group III (Latin-American and Caribbean States)
- Ms Ana María Cetto
Researcher and Professor, Physics Institute, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico - Mr José Francisco Silva Garcés
Specialist, University Hub for Innovation and Technology Transfer of Quito, Ecuador
Group IV (Asian and Pacific States)
- Mr Jaime Carlos Montoya
Executive Director, Philippine Council for Health Research and Development, Department of Science and Technology, Philippines - Mr Akhilesh Gupta
Senior Adviser and Head, Policy Coordination and Programme Management Division, Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, India
Group Va (African States)
- Mr Tshiamo Motshegwa
Director, The African Open Science Platform (AOSP), South Africa - Mr Roger Ikor Glele Agboho
First Counselor, Embassy of Benin in France, Benin
Group Vb (Arab States)
- Ms Faten Yousef Al Jabsheh
Division Director, Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, Kuwait - Mr Mouïn Hamzé
Secretary General, National Council for Scientific Research, Lebanon
International experts
- Ms Myrna Cunningham (Nicaragua)
Chairperson of the Center for Autonomy and Development of Indigenous People (CADPI), and Vice-President of the Board of the Latin American and Caribbean Indigenous People Development Fund - Ms Justine Germo Nzweundji (Cameroon)
Researcher at the Institute of Medical Research and Medicinal Plants Studies (IMPM), Deputy Head of the Laboratory of Botany and Traditional Medicine, and President of the Cameroon Academy of Young Scientists - Mr Joeli Veitayaki (Fiji)
Associate Professor of Marine Studies at the School of Agriculture, Geography, Environment, Ocean and Natural Science of the University of the South Pacific
Intersectoral Task Team
An interdivisional and intersectoral Task Team on Open Science is providing the necessary oversight and guidance reflecting the perspectives and contributions of all divisions of the Natural Sciences Sector and other sectors of UNESCO taking into account expertise in education, culture, social and human sciences, communication and information.