6 Months from the Finish Line: What OPUS Has Achieved So Far to Transform Research Assessment

6 Months from the Finish Line: What OPUS Has Achieved So Far to Transform Research Assessment 1024 507 Open and Universal Science (OPUS) Project

The OPUS (Open and Universal Science) project is a Horizon Europe initiative designed to redefine how researchers are assessed, prioritising Open Science (OS) practices and fostering a research ecosystem—encompassing open-access publications, FAIR data, and citizen science—where transparency, collaboration, and accessibility become standard.

Launched on 1 September 2022 and concluding on 31 August 2025, OPUS brings together stakeholders from academia, funding bodies, and industry to establish systemic incentives that encourage transparency, collaboration, and accessibility in research.

Key Focus Areas

  • Developing interventions (e.g., policy changes, training) and indicators/metrics to monitor Open Science adoption at research-performing organisations (RPOs) and research-funding organisations (RFOs).
  • Piloting these reforms at three RPOs—University of Cyprus (UCY), University of Rijeka (UNIRI), and Universidade NOVA de Lisboa (UNL)—by implementing OS training, open-access mandates, FAIR data repositories, and citizen science integration.
  • Additionally, two RFOs—the Research Council of Lithuania (Lietuvos mokslo taryba) and UEFISCDI (Romania)—are testing real-world implementations such as rewarding OS compliance in grant evaluations and developing OS-aligned funding criteria.
  • Producing policy briefs and a revised Open Science Career Assessment Matrix (OS-CAM2) to guide institutional reforms.

OPUS’s Six Core Objectives

  1. Conduct a state-of-the-art review of existing OS literature, policies, and initiatives.
  2. Develop interventions (e.g., training, policy reforms) for RPOs and RFOs.
  3. Design indicators/metrics to track OS adoption (e.g., open-data deposits, pre-registrations).
  4. Pilot interventions at three RPOs and two RFOs.
  5. Refine frameworks through stakeholder feedback loops.
  6. Synthesise outcomes into policy briefs and the Open Science Career Assessment Matrix 2 (OS-CAM2).

Why OPUS Exists

Traditional research assessment systems prioritise metrics such as journal impact factors, which disincentivise Open Science practices like open-access publishing, FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) data sharing, and citizen science.

OPUS aims to address this by:

  • Rewarding OS practices: Aligning researcher incentives with Open Science, thereby improving research quality, collaboration, and public trust.
  • Reducing precarity: Ensuring OS activities contribute to career progression for early-career researchers, counteracting the disincentives created by traditional bibliometric assessments.
  • Building trust: Enhancing reproducibility and public engagement through transparent research workflows.

Progress to Date

OPUS is structured around seven work packages (WPs) and aims not only to reward Open Science but to establish it as the norm. By aligning career incentives with transparent practices, it fosters a research culture where knowledge sharing is central.

Since its launch, OPUS has achieved the following milestones:

  • WP1 (State-of-the-Art Review): Identified gaps in existing OS frameworks, mapping 34 networks, 36 Horizon projects, and 47 experts. Analysed 129 academic papers, 25 policy documents, and 34 OS initiatives, highlighting gaps in gender equality, industry collaboration, and trust-building.
  • WP2 (Interventions): Developed actionable policies, such as OS training programmes and institutional mandates, embedding OS into research organisations and funding bodies. Piloted over 40 interventions, including mentorship schemes. Partner organisations, including Vitae and UNESCO, are leveraging their networks to disseminate OPUS outputs and train researchers.
  • WP3 (Indicators/Metrics): Created tools to monitor OS adoption, including open-data deposits and public engagement tracking. Developed a draft framework integrating quantitative (e.g., open-access publications) and qualitative metrics (e.g., public engagement).
  • WP4 (Pilots): Pilots commenced in 2024 to refine these metrics and interventions at five institutions. Testing interventions at three RPOs and two RFOs, with early results indicating increased OS training uptake and FAIR data compliance.
  • WP5 (Policy Synthesis): Drafting OS-CAM2, a revised career assessment matrix incorporating OS metrics, expanding the 2017 matrix to include citizen science and open peer review. OPUS published an initial policy brief aligning with global initiatives such as UNESCO’s Open Science Recommendation and the Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA).

Challenges and Innovations

OPUS addresses systemic challenges head-on:

  • Precarity and OS: No direct correlation has been found between short-term contracts and OS uptake, underscoring the need for institutional support.
  • Gender equality: While OS does not inherently address gender gaps, tailored interventions, such as mentorship for open-data initiatives, are being tested.
  • Industry collaboration: Developing frameworks that balance open collaboration with commercial interests.

A significant innovation is the Open Science Career Assessment Matrix 2 (OS-CAM2), which builds on earlier models to include new metrics such as citizen science participation and open peer review.

Next Steps

In 2025, the OPUS team will finalise OS-CAM2 and the Researcher Assessment Framework (RAF) based on feedback from the pilot phase. As part of its stakeholder engagement efforts, OPUS will broaden consultations with research-performing organisations (RPOs), research-funding organisations (RFOs), and research institutions. The final stage will focus on policy advocacy, presenting findings to EU policymakers, including the European Commission and CoARA, to integrate Open Science incentives into mainstream research assessment frameworks.

Join the OPUS Journey

OPUS is more than a project—it is a movement. Researchers, institutions, and policymakers can get involved by:

  • Exploring resources: Accessing the RAF draft and policy briefs at opusproject.eu.
  • Participating in events: Engaging with pilot results and contributing to OS-CAM2 development. Attend the Final OPUS Conference in July 2025 to help shape the future of OS reforms.
  • Following updates: Subscribing to the OPUS newsletter for insights on Open Science reforms.

Together, we can build a research ecosystem where openness drives excellence.

Consortium Partners

The OPUS consortium comprises 18 partners spanning academia, funding bodies, and global networks:

  • PLOCAN (Oceanic Platform of the Canary Islands): Project coordinator.
  • RESOLVO SRL: Project management support.
  • TGB (The Guild of European Business-Friendly Universities): Scientific coordination.
  • CRAC-Vitae: Career development expertise.
  • ICoRSA (International Consortium of Research Staff Associations): Researcher advocacy.
  • UNESCO: Global policy alignment.
  • JISC: Digital infrastructure support.
  • YERUN (Young European Research Universities Network): Work with pilots and network dissemination.
  • Eurodoc (European Council of Doctoral Candidates and Junior Researchers): Early-career researcher insights.
  • Pilot RPOsUniversity of Cyprus, University of Rijeka, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa.
  • Pilot RFOsResearch Council of Lithuania (Lietuvos mokslo taryba), UEFISCDI (Executive Agency for Higher Education, Research, Development and Innovation Funding, Romania).
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