Paris, July 9-10, 2025
The OPUS (Open and Universal Science Project) Consortium will hold its Final Conference at the UNESCO International Institute of Educational Planning (IIEP) in Paris, bringing together key stakeholders to discuss the future of Open Science and responsible research practices in Europe.
The two-day conference will showcase the main outcomes and key exploitable results of the OPUS project, with experts, policymakers, and research organisations exploring how Open Science policies can be effectively implemented at institutional and national levels. Online participation will be available via Zoom.
As OPUS aims to transform research assessment, the conference will feature a detailed presentation of the project’s approach to incentivising and rewarding Open Science practices. Key highlights include new assessment indicators, real-world pilot implementations, and impactful interventions at Research Performing Organisations (RPOs) and Research Funding Organisations (RFOs).
Venue: UNESCO International Institute of Educational Planning (IIEP) 7–9 rue Eugène-Delacroix, 75116 Paris, France
AGENDA
Day 1 – 9 July 2025
09:00 – 09:30
Registration of Participants
09:30 – 10:00
Welcome Remarks
Corina Moya-Falcón, OPUS Coordinator, PLOCAN
Gustavo Merino, Director, UNESCO Social Policies Division
Rinske Van Den Berg, REA Project Officer
10:00 – 12:40
OPUS Project: Main Outcomes and Key Exploitable Results
Presentation of OPUS outcomes, including the Research Assessment Framework (RAF) and key learnings for RFOs and RPOs.
10:00 – 10:30
OPUS Researcher Assessment Framework (RAF)
Gareth O’Neill (TGB) & Emma Day (Vitae)
10:30 – 12:40
Pilot Action and Mutual Learning
10:30 – 10:40 – Introduction: Raquel Vega (YERUN)
10:40 – 10:55 – Alina Irimia, Open science projects coordinator at Executive Agency for Higher Education, Research, Development and Innovation Funding (UEFISCDI) – Pilot Action (Romania)
10:55 – 11:10 – Julija Baniukevic, Research Council of Lithuania (RCL) Pilot Action
11:10 – 11:40 – Coffee Break
11:40 – 11:55 – Isabel L. Nunes, Vice-Rector of University Nova of Lisbon (UNL) – Pilot Action
11:55 – 12:10 – Nataša Jakominić Marot, Head of the University of Rijeka Centre for Research and Innovation (UNIRI) Pilot Action
12:10 – 12:25 – Panagiotis Moiras, MSc, BA (Hons), MCIM, Senior Research and Project Management Specialist at the University of Cyprus (UCY) – Pilot Action
12:25 – 12:40 – Corina Moya-Falcón, Beyond the Project Pilots: PLOCAN Action
12:40 – 14:00
Lunch Break
14:00 – 14:15
Lesson learnt on how to better support OS policies at institutional level:
OPUS Policy Brief – Juliana Chaves Chaparro, Senior Consultant, UNESCO MOST
14:15 – 15:45
Panel Discussion: Research Assessment and Open Science
Led by Gareth O’Neill, OPUS Scientific Coordinator (TGB)
Panelists:
– Ana Persic (UNESCO)
– James Morris (Science Europe)
– Louise Bezuidenhout (Leiden University)
– René von Schomberg (RWTH Aachen University)
– Pil Maria Saugmann (Eurodoc)
15:45 – 16:00
Wrap-up, Highlights, and Closing Remarks
Lamine Diagne, senior programme officer, MOST Section, UNESCO
Rinske Van Den Berg, REA Project Policy Officer
Corina Moya-Falcón, OPUS Coordinator, PLOCAN
16:00
Networking & Cocktail Reception
Optional: Tour and Dinner
Day 2 – 10 July 2025
10:00 – 12:30
Final Project Meeting (OPUS Partners Only)
Wrap-up on the project and next steps
Moderated by Corina Moya-Falcón (PLOCAN) & Francesca Pratesi (Resolvo)
SPEAKERS
Rinske van den Berg
Rinske van den Berg is a Project Officer with the Research Executive Agency (REA) at the European Commission, where she supports the implementation and monitoring of EU-funded research and innovation projects. With a background in policy and project coordination, she has been an active speaker at international events—highlighting her expertise in areas such as open science, higher education, and the integration of refugee scholars. In her role at REA, Rinske is involved in shaping and advancing strategic agendas that support European research, including participation in key initiatives like ENABLECARES. She brings both policy acumen and on-the-ground experience in project delivery to her work as a Project Officer.
Gustavo Merino
Previously, Gustavo Merino was Leader of the Public Policy Unit at the Institute for Obesity Research and as Research Professor and Leader of the Public Policy Health Initiative at the School of Government and Public Transformation of Tecnológico de Monterrey, where he was also Dean of the School of Social Sciences and Government for Mexico City Region. Prior to that, he was Director of the Investment Center Division at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). He has held senior positions in the Government of Mexico including Deputy Minister of Social and Human Development, Deputy Minister for Prospective, Planning and Evaluation and Head of the Planning and International Affairs Unit at the Ministry of Social Development. He was also CEO of Mexico’s national development bank for agriculture and rural areas, Financiera Rural. Dr. Merino has also been a Professor of Economics and Director of the Center for Public Policy Research at Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de Mexico (ITAM) in Mexico City and a consultant in the field of social development, public finance and competition policy. He has a master’s and PhD in Public Policy from Harvard University and a BA in Economics from ITAM.
Juliana Chaves Chaparro
Juliana Chaves Chaparro is a Senior Consultant with the UNESCO MOST Section, where she specializes in advancing open research and innovation policy, particularly through her leadership in the OPUS project, which focuses on reforming research assessment frameworks to incentivize and reward of more Open and Responsible Research and Innovation (ORRI) practices12. With a background in Environmental sciences and extensive experience in sustainable development and territorial planning, Juliana is also leading the gender mainstreaming in FIC fighters HE project and has founded the NGO Mixtura ambiental, contributing to sustainable transitions through the mixed of Arts, Sciences and ILK. Since 2005, she has contributed to international initiatives promoting the transition to open, collaborative, and inclusive research systems particularly in Sub Saharan Africa and LAC regions with UNESCO, UNEP and the European Commission among others. Her work emphasizes the development of policy interventions that support the implementation of ORRI to enhance the societal impact of STI. She is member of the ORRI network and advisor to REINFORCING, R4 Green or VERITY projects among others, and editor and author of various scientific and policy publications.
Gareth O'Neill
Gareth O’Neill is a Principal Consultant on Open Science at Technopolis Group specialising in open science, the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC), research careers, research security, and university alliances. He is currently an ambassador for Plan S under cOAlition S, is developing a Researcher Assessment Framework in the OPUS project, and is developing the EOSC Open Science Observatory in the EOSC Track project. Gareth has recently been involved in the Mutual Learning Exercise on Research Careers for the European Commission, in developing a Research Career Framework in the SECURE project, and in assessing university alliances for the Research Executive Agency.
Emma Day
Emma is responsible for strategic leadership and delivery of CRAC-Vitae’s policy and advocacy strategy and engagement with senior sector stakeholders. She has worked in researcher career and professional development for over fifteen years, most notably on Horizon Europe projects leading on SECURE, which examines researcher precarity across Europe, OPUS, which explores the link between open science and researcher assessment and COARA Boost, which acts as the secretariat for the COARA initiative. She is Co-Chair of the COARA working group on Early and Mid Career Researchers. She leads Vitae’s work on EURAXESS UK which looks to support researchers looking to and already working in the UK.
Corina Moya-Falcón
Corina Moya-Falcón is a marine sciences and aquaculture expert specializing in innovation management, international cooperation, and project development.
Throughout her career, Corina has excelled in science, technology, and innovation management. Her expertise includes international cooperation and project management, which she leverages to contribute to the development of natural based solutions and to bridge the gap between research and industry. She is also deeply committed to expanding access to marine infrastructures, providing essential resources to both public and private sectors for research and innovation, while securing competitive funding to support groundbreaking ventures.
Raquel Vega Rubio
Raquel Vega Rubio is Policy and Project Officer at YERUN (Young European Research Universities Network). She leads the network advocacy efforts in the areas of open science, research assessment and research security. She also leads the networks’ work on key Horizon Europe projects, such as OPUS, SECURE or COARA Boost. Earlier roles include Research Associate on European politics at KU Leuven and Project Manager at Medicusmundi Sur in Morocco.
Nataša Jakominić Marot
Nataša is an expert in EU higher education research management and R&I policy and an institutional peer reviewer in her fields of expertise. Her portfolio also includes EU programmes & projects, innovation, reform of research assessment and knowledge valorisation. Nataša holds MA in languages from the University of Zagreb, MBA in Public Administration and Management from Vienna, executive education in Innovation for Economic Development certificate from Harvard Kennedy School – Harvard University, and is in a PhD candidate in Sustainable Development. A member of multiple advisory, expert and policy platforms (including EARMA ACPC/CPEG, YERUN Policy Platform and two CoARA working groups), she also contributes as an author and speaker in her fields of expertise.
Panagiotis (Panos) Moiras, MSc, BA (Hons), MCIM,
With over 18 years’ experience in project management and strategic communications, particularly within public sector and EU-funded initiatives, Panos has led multidisciplinary teams delivering complex EU, EEA, and nationally funded projects, and held strategic roles such as Business Development Manager. He has also contributed to research in tourism and sustainability in Greece and Cyprus.
As a communications strategist, Panos has delivered successful campaigns for both public and private sector clients. He is a registered external expert in communications for the European Commission (DG COMM) and the European Parliament.
Currently a PhD candidate at the Cyprus University of Technology, he is involved in science communication research and outreach. He is PRINCE2-certified, a Member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, and an active participant in Civil Society in Cyprus.
Isabel L. Nunes
Isabel L. Nunes is Vice-Rector of NOVA University of Lisbon and the institutional coordinator of the OPUS project at NOVA. With a background in Industrial Engineering, her academic and professional expertise spans quality assurance and institutional strategic planning. Isabel has contributed actively to national and European projects and is an associate professor with habilitation at NOVA School of Science and Technology (NOVA FCT).
Alina Irimia
Alina Irimia is the Open Science Coordinator at UEFISCDI, Romania’s leading national funding agency for higher education, research, and innovation. With over 14 years of experience in strategic planning at UEFISCDI and eight years specifically dedicated to open science initiatives, she directs the Open Science Knowledge Hub Romania, strengthens national and international OS collaborations, and represents UEFISCDI on the board of CoNOSC since 2023. From 2019 to 2022, Alina spearheaded the development of Romania’s National Strategic Framework for Open Science, culminating in the White Paper on the Transition to Open Science 2023–2030, and has been deeply involved in integrating EU-level OS policies and practices, including FAIR data principles and open-access standards. In addition to her role at UEFISCDI, she serves as an open science policy expert at the UNESCO Chair for Science and Innovation Policy at SNSPA–Bucharest .
Julija Baniukevič
Julija Baniukevič is a dedicated Science Explorer and Project Coordinator at the Research Council of Lithuania (Lietuvos mokslo taryba) . She has over two decades of experience bridging research, education, policy, and science communication. From 2014 to 2015, she led the Lithuanian Society of Young Researchers and served as vice-president of Eurodoc, where she championed researcher mobility and contributed to reforming doctoral training across Europe.
In her current role, Julija Baniukevič coordinates the EU Horizon-funded projects—OPUS (“Open and Universal Science”), IANUS, and WiderAdvance Facility—where she not only designs and delivers open science training to foster transparent, FAIR-aligned research practices among Lithuanian academics, but also bridges in building inclusive communities, such as the OPUS cohort group, where researchers, policymakers, and the public engage in open dialogue to collaboratively develop constructive solutions to solve research and societal challenges.
Julija Baniukevic used to work in Brussels as an RDI liaison officer, where she developed deep insight into European science policy trends and advocacy networks. At the Nature Research Centre, she served as Head of Project Development Department, driving national research infrastructure and innovation ecosystem initiatives. Beyond research management, she is active in science entrepreneurship, investments in innovation, and mentoring educators and researchers—especially women in STEM—through inclusive practices and education.
Key Themes & Topics
1. Assessing Researchers and Incentivising Open Science
OPUS introduces a set of indicators and metrics that monitor and encourage the adoption of Open Science. Topics will include open access to research outputs, early and open sharing, open peer review, reproducibility, and stakeholder engagement.
2. The Generic Researcher Assessment Framework (RAF)
This framework provides a holistic evaluation system for researchers based on four key categories: Proposal Development, Methods Development, Research Outputs, and Research Impact. It focuses on Open Science contributions and offers a comprehensive system for researcher assessment.
3. Piloting Research Assessment Reforms
The conference will showcase real-world experiences from OPUS pilot programs at three RPOs (Nova University of Lisbon, University of Cyprus, and University of Rijeka) and two RFOs (UEFISCDI in Romania and the Research Council of Lithuania). These pilots, running from January 2024 to June 2025, assess the effectiveness of new metrics and methodologies.
4. Interventions for Open Science Adoption
OPUS has created a series of interventions, including policy changes, resource allocation, repository development, awareness campaigns, and training programs. The impact of these initiatives on fostering Open Science cultures will be evaluated within pilot organisations.
5. Current Progress & Future Steps
As OPUS nears its conclusion in August 2025, the conference will offer insights into the ongoing implementation of Open Science reforms, the development of updated Open Science indicators, and the creation of the Open Science Career Assessment Matrix (OS-CAM2). Policy briefs and recommendations aimed at integrating Open Science into mainstream research assessment practices will also be discussed.
The Open and Universal Science (OPUS) Project
The OPUS project was funded under Horizon Europe to reform researcher assessment and incentivise and reward Open Science (OS) practices by researchers. The project ran from 01 September 2022 until 31 August 2025 and brought together research stakeholders, including research-performing organisations (RPOs), research-funding organisations (RFOs), experts on assessment and OS, researchers, and industry.
Key OPUS Activities
- Developed a Researcher Assessment Framework (RAF) which consists of a range of indicators (which can be deployed qualitatively and/or quantitatively) to recognise the many activities conducted by researchers in their assessment.
- Developed an Open Science Career Assessment Matrix (OSCAM2) which consists of a wide range of indicators focused on Open Science to recognise Open Science practices by researchers in their assessment.
- Developed interventions (on policy, resources, awareness, and training) to support the implementation of the RAF and OSCAM2 at RPOs and RFOs.
- Conducted pilots at three RPOs (University of Cyprus, University of Rijeka, and NOVA University Lisboa) and two RFOs (Research Council of Lithuania and Executive Agency for Higher Education, Research, Development and Innovation Funding in Romania) to test the implementation of the RAF.
Key Aims of OPUS
Traditional research assessment systems have prioritised peer-reviewed publications and publication metrics (such as number of publications, citations, H-index, Journal Impact Factor) in researcher assessment and do not incentivise and reward OS.
OPUS aimed to address this by:
- Reforming Assessment: Expanding the recognition of activities conducted by researchers beyond publications and publication metrics
- Recognising Open Science Practices: Incentivising and rewarding Open Science by recognising Open Science practices conducted by researchers
OPUS Work Packages
OPUS was structured around seven work packages (WPs) and aimed not only to reward Open Science but to establish it as the norm. By aligning career incentives with transparent practices, it fostered a research culture where knowledge sharing was central.
From its launch, OPUS achieved the following milestones:
- WP1 (State-of-the-Art): Reviewed existing literature and identified key experts, initiatives, and networks related to research assessment and Open Science (including creating a database of over 150 experts, identifying 36 relevant Horizon Europe projects, and mapping 34 relevant networks for the project).
- WP2 (Interventions): Developed a set of interventions to support RPOs and RFOs with implementing the RAF and OSCAM2 which focus on the policies, resources, awareness raising, and training needed for implementation.
- WP3 (Framework): Developed a Researcher Assessment Framework (RAF) to recognise the wide diversity of activities conducted by researchers, developed an Open Science Career Assessment Matrix (OSCAM2) to incentivise and reward Open Science practices by researchers, and supported the pilot organisations.
- WP4 (Pilots): Three RPOs and two RFOs piloted the RAF at their organisations. This included reviewing existing researcher assessment practices, selecting relevant indicators from the RAF with a focus on Open Science, developing action plans to implement the selected indicators, creating cohorts of participating researchers, and monitoring the implementation of the pilots.
- WP5 (Policy): Published policy briefs to inform stakeholders about key exploitable results of the project and helped to align the project with Open Science initiatives such as the UNESCO Recommendation on Open Science.
- WP6 (Coordination): Coordinated the consortium and managed the overall implementation of the project as well as liaising with the European Commission.
- WP7 (Communication): Managed communication and dissemination activities to promote the project, progress of the project, and project key exploitable results.
Project Consortium
All 18 organisations implementing the OPUS project are active at the European level spanning the whole spectrum of Open Science.
