The Barcelona Declaration on Open Research Information: Key Insights from the Launch Webinar

The Barcelona Declaration on Open Research Information: Key Insights from the Launch Webinar 600 406 Open and Universal Science (OPUS) Project

The webinar held on April 23, 2024, marked a significant moment for the global research community, introducing the Barcelona Declaration on Open Research Information—a landmark initiative advocating for transparency, inclusivity, and collective action in managing research data. Hosted by experts including Ludo Waltman (Leiden University) and Cameron Neylon (Curtin University), the event outlined the Declaration’s commitments, showcased perspectives from early signatories, and addressed critical questions about implementation. Below, we break down the key themes and outcomes from this foundational discussion.

The Barcelona Declaration: Core Commitments

The Declaration centres on four actionable pledges to transform how research information is created, shared, and used:

  1. Openness by Default
    • Research information—whether used for evaluations, policy-making, or discovery—must be openly accessible. Exceptions apply only where privacy or sensitivity necessitates restrictions (“as open as possible, as closed as necessary”)
  2. Support for Open Systems
    • Institutions must prioritize services that enable open metadata (e.g., requiring publishers to share article metadata via open infrastructures like Crossref) and ensure internal systems (e.g., CRIS) export data using standard protocols like CERIF 
  3. Sustainable Infrastructure
    • Signatories commit to financially and institutionally supporting open infrastructures (e.g., OpenAlex, ROR) that adhere to community governance principles 
  4. Collective Action
    • A Coalition for Open Research Information will coordinate global efforts to accelerate the transition from closed to open systems, building on initiatives like UNESCO’s Open Science recommendations 

Who’s Leading the Charge? Key Signatories

Over 50 organisations across 20+ countries signed the Declaration by April 2024, including:

CategoryExamplesGeographic Reach
Research UniversitiesLeiden University, Sorbonne Université, University of CoimbraFrance, Spain, Portugal, Netherlands
Funders & GovernmentsDutch Research Council (NWO), Bill & Melinda Gates FoundationNetherlands, US, France, Latin America
Infrastructure ProvidersOpenAIRE, Latin American Council of Social Sciences (CLACSO)Europe, Global South

Signatories emphasized the need to replace proprietary tools (e.g., Scopus, Web of Science) with open alternatives and align procurement policies with open principles 

Diversity and Inclusion: Beyond Openness

A standout theme was the imperative to address systemic biases in research information. Laura Rovelli (CLACSO) highlighted:

  • Geographic Gaps: Mainstream databases underrepresent Global South research due to linguistic, economic, and institutional barriers
  • Decentralized Solutions: Federated systems—like Latin America’s non-DOI journals and regional repositories—ensure linguistic and thematic diversity while avoiding overreliance on single sources
  • Pluralism: The Declaration aligns with initiatives like FOLEC (Latin America’s research assessment framework), which advocates for metrics reflecting local and global knowledge production

Next Steps and Challenges

  1. Paris Conference (September 2024): A follow-up event at Sorbonne University will focus on governance models for the Coalition and strategies to scale adoption
  2. Governance Uncertainty: As of April 2024, no formal structure exists for the Coalition. Discussions with signatories will shape its design throughout 2024
  3. Funding Models: While the Declaration urges “fair and equitable” support for infrastructures, signatories clarified there’s no binding financial commitment—only an expectation to “seriously consider” contributions

Q&A Highlights

Q: How will commercial players like Elsevier and Clarivate engage?

  • While these companies expressed broad support, experts noted scepticism about their long-term alignment with open principles. The Declaration welcomes transitions to open models but emphasizes diversifying beyond existing monopolies 

Q: What standards will govern metadata?

  • The Declaration avoids prescribing specific formats (e.g., ROR IDs) but urges community-driven standardization to improve interoperability 

Q: Can advocacy groups or publishers sign?

  • Publishers can join as “supporters” by committing to open metadata, while non-research organizations (e.g., commissions) may need to engage as allies rather than signatories 

Why This Matters

The Barcelona Declaration signals a paradigm shift: research evaluation and policy-making can no longer rely on opaque, exclusionary data. By prioritising openness, pluralism, and infrastructure resilience, it challenges institutions to rethink how they produce and consume knowledge. As the Coalition takes shape, its success will hinge on translating high-level commitments into localized, actionable strategies—particularly for underrepresented regions.For updates, visit barcelona-declaration.org or explore the full webinar recording and materials here.

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