UEFISCDI in Romania, OPUS Pilot Implementation

• April 17, 2025

As a funder, the Executive Agency for Higher Education, Research, Development and Innovation Funding of Romania piloted the integration of Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable data principles into funding instruments, focusing on data management plans and Open Science requirements. Activities included developing a tailored data management plan template and establishing a task force to explore Open Science integration in funding instruments.

Impact: The Executive Agency for Higher Education, Research, Development and Innovation Funding of Romania’s work provided evidence for scaling Open Science practices to other funding programmes.

The Executive Agency for Higher Education, Research, Development, and Innovation Funding (UEFISCDI) has taken a national-level approach to its involvement in the OPUS project, reflecting its role as Romania’s main funder of competitive research and the national support entity for Open Science. The pilot aimed to advance Romania’s National Open Science Strategy, with particular emphasis on implementing FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) DMP.

Integrating Open Science into Funding Instruments
A significant milestone of the pilot was the introduction of Open Science and FAIR DMP requirements into one of UEFISCDI’s major funding programmes, with a total budget of €320 million. For the first time, applicants were required to explicitly detail their Open Science practices and outline their plans for managing research data according to FAIR principles. If the proposal is funded, the beneficiary must develop a data management plan (DMP) within the first six months of implementation. This programme  is expected to fund 20–24 projects over five years, involving approximately 200–240 researchers.  The duration of the projects is five years, with a possible extension of up to two years.

Key Intervention Areas
The pilot’s intervention points included several important activities that were implemented:

• Policy intervention: Seeking approval to incorporate FAIR DMPs into the funding instrument. 
• Policy intervention: Including FAIR DMP provisions into the application form and evaluation criteria of the funding instrument.
• Awareness Intervention: Developing information package (incl. about DMPs) for researchers applying to the program call.
• Resource Intervention: Develop DMP template for researchers in the program call.

Despite some delays during the evaluation phase of the projects UEFISCDI anticipates that grant contracts will be signed by summer 2025.

Future Developments
Looking ahead, UEFISCDI is preparing DMP related specifications to adapt its national institutional platformse.g. BrainMap, which connects over 65,000 researchers and project reporting/monitoring platform. Approval institutional processes for these adjustments are underway. This aligns with broader efforts to develop a new researcher profile within BrainMap platformthat supports Open Science practices.

In the upcoming period, the DMP template will be tested with researchers from the RDI and OS communities and adjusted based on their feedback.

Expanding Impact Beyond OPUS
The pilot’s success has already influenced other funding instruments. Open Science and FAIR DMP requirements have been integrated into two additional funding programmes. The information packages for these funding instruments were put into public consultations. The related funding competitions are currently being prepared.  This represented a significant step forward in aligning national research funding practices with broader Open Science practices and the provisions of the
National Strategy on Research, Innovation, and Smart Specialisation (2022–2027) and national OS strategic framework.

Enhancing Research Assessment

The Executive Agency for Higher Education, Research, Development, and Innovation Funding (UEFISCDI) in Romania is making significant strides in modernizing research assessment through its participation in the OPUS project. As one of the pilot organizations testing the OPUS Research Assessment Framework, UEFISCDI is focused on introducing interventions and indicators that incentivize and reward researchers for adopting open science practices.

UEFISCDI is the primary funding body for competitive research in Romania and serves as a key policy advisor to the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Research. The organization plays a crucial role as a national hub for open science, supporting the development and implementation of related policies. This commitment is reflected in its rigorous and robust research assessment process, which incorporates international peer review and advanced digital platforms.

One of the agency’s notable strengths lies in its comprehensive research assessment procedures, which balance quantitative and qualitative indicators. The use of platforms like Brainmap, which boasts over 60,000 registered accounts from researchers worldwide, and the UDiManager and eVoks platforms, has significantly streamlined operations, improving data accuracy and efficiency.

Despite these advancements, UEFISCDI faces challenges, including ensuring sustainable funding in a competitive environment, balancing different assessment criteria, and reducing administrative burdens. The agency recognizes the need to shift away from traditional metrics like journal impact factors and is working closely with the research community to introduce new practices and indicators.

The OPUS framework has already influenced UEFISCDI’s approach to research assessment, prompting the introduction of new indicators in pilot funding calls, such as those for centers of excellence. The framework also aligns with ongoing efforts in other projects like the GRASP-OS, where UEFISCDI is developing a new researcher profile model that emphasizes openness and responsible research assessment.

Through these initiatives, UEFISCDI is positioning itself at the forefront of research assessment reform, aligning with European and international standards to foster a more open and innovative research environment in Romania.

UEFISCDI’s Role in Advancing Open Science in Romania

Through its participation in OPUS, UEFISCDI has laid a strong foundation for advancing Open Science practices in Romania. The integration of FAIR DMP into funding mechanisms (including evaluation criteria) marks a transformative step in modernising research assessment. With ongoing efforts to expand Open Science requirements across funding instruments, UEFISCDI is poised to ensure that the impact of OPUS endures well beyond its formal conclusion.

The Executive Agency for Higher Education, Research, Development, and Innovation Funding (UEFISCDI) is playing a key role in promoting and implementing open science practices in Romania. As a key participant in the Open and Universal Science (OPUS) project, UEFISCDI is one of the pilot organisations testing new frameworks for assessing research, with the goal of encouraging and rewarding researchers for embracing open science principles. As Romania’s main funder of competitive research, UEFISCDI is well-positioned to drive these changes.

Shaping Open Science Policy and Strategy

Since 2018, UEFISCDI has led the creation of Romania’s Open Science Knowledge Hub, a central resource aimed at promoting and guiding open science across the country. The agency has played a crucial part in coordinating the National Open Science Strategic Framework and providing policy recommendations, which have been integrated into Romania’s National Strategy on Research, Innovation, and Smart Specialisation (2022–2027). In addition, UEFISCDI’s proposals to support open science were included in the National Plan for Research, Development, and Innovation, which is the primary tool for implementing the broader strategy.

Video Link: https://youtu.be/L5gTu0EDatg?feature=shared

Raising Awareness and Building Capacity

To support the transition to open science, UEFISCDI has developed various guidance documents on key topics like citizen science, open access publishing, and research data management in line with FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable). These resources are available on both the national open science portal and UEFISCDI’s website. In December 2022, the agency launched a dedicated open science portal and created an open science community on its BrainMap platform.

UEFISCDI is also actively working to raise awareness and build capacity for open science across the research community. It regularly organises national webinars and events, engaging a broad range of stakeholders to promote best practices in open science and foster collaboration within Romania’s research ecosystem.

Collaborating with European and International Initiatives

UEFISCDI’s efforts are supported by its involvement in various European and international initiatives. The agency is part of OpenAIRE, the Research Data Alliance (RDA), and serves as an observer in the Young European Research Universities Network (YERUN). UEFISCDI also collaborates with Science Europe, UNESCO, and COARA on policies related to open science and innovation. These international partnerships offer valuable opportunities for sharing knowledge and developing policies that are aligned with European and global standards.

Supporting Open Science Through OPUS and Other Projects

As part of the OPUS project, UEFISCDI is testing new research assessment criteria within its funding programmes. One of the most significant changes is the introduction of mandatory data management plans for funded projects, which must follow the FAIR principles. This is a first for Romania, marking a major step toward integrating open science into research funding processes.

While introducing these new criteria has posed some challenges at the institutional level, UEFISCDI is working through these obstacles with the support of the OPUS project and other European-funded initiatives focused on open science. These efforts are helping to foster a more open and transparent research culture in Romania.

Advancing Open Science in Romania: From Shaping National Policy to Implementing New Practices 

UEFISCDI is at the forefront of advancing open science in Romania, from shaping national policy to implementing new practices through projects like OPUS. By promoting collaboration, raising awareness, and building capacity, UEFISCDI is transforming the Romanian research landscape and driving progress towards greater openness and innovation. Through its continued efforts, the agency is helping ensure that Romania stays aligned with European and global developments in open science.