Recommendations to the Spanish Government to Facilitate the Implementation of the Open Science Model in Spain

Abstract

Open science represents a paradigm shift in research activity that promises to facilitate the expansion and extension of the benefits of science to researchers, academic institutions, and society as a whole. This new research model has various components (open access to publications, research data sharing, new research assessment models, etc.) and it has been promoted at the highest level by public administrations, especially the European Commission. Yet despite this support, the development and implementation of this model has been uneven.

Our research group has carried out an extensive analysis of the current state of open science in Spain, which has identified a significant lack of awareness among the main stakeholders, especially researchers. For this reason, we have determined it advisable to present some recommendations to the Spanish government with a view to accelerating progress on the various fronts of open science.

This document has two clearly distinct sections. The first is an introduction presenting international and Spanish background information related to recommendations on open science, a description of the Spanish legal framework and five objectives of the recommendations. The second section offers a brief outline of a set of recommendations for each of the five established objectives, three of which are related to strategic lines of open science (open access, research data, and research assessment) while the other two are cross-cutting objectives (education and operational management).