Leading Czech and international experts discussed access to scientific knowledge, so-called "open science," at the first Czech National EOSC Tripartite Event in Prague, Czech Rep. On June 1 and 2, 2023, the National Technical Library hosted a meeting of representatives of scientific organizations, universities, and scientists that strive for an "open" scientific environment and sharing scientific knowledge. The director of the host institution, Martin Svoboda said at the conference: "Open science represents the transformation of the scientific process into the 21st century. I am glad that the National Technical Library could co-organize and host such an important event and thus help international cooperation and integration of Czech science into the European research area."
The conference's organizers dedicated the first day to the presentation of cooperation in the format of the so-called tripartite - the European Commission, EOSC Steering Board, and EOSC Association in research data management. In two panel discussions, policymakers, scientists, and heads of research institutions presented the challenges and biases currently facing open science, the launch of the EOSC project at the national level, and examples of good practice with a vision for the future. On the second day, the topic was Open Science and its institutional support in the Czech university environment.
At the beginning of the two-day meeting, Helena Langšádlová, Minister for Science, Research and Innovation of the Czech Republic, said: "I am very pleased that the Czech Republic is an example of good practice in sharing scientific data thanks to the IPs EOSC-CZ project. Collaboration is the key to success, and there is no difference in science. International cooperation and enthusiasm for finding the latest scientific solutions move us forward and develop our society." The importance of introducing EOSC principles into the everyday life of the scientific community was also emphasized by Luděk Matyska, the representative of the EOSC mandate organization for the Czech Republic: "The implementation of EOSC in the Czech Republic should be one of the key instruments for changing the Czech scientific environment, which, together with the future change in the evaluation of science that will not pass us by, can move the direction and quality of our science up a level. In this way, we also support the principles of Open Science and open access to scientific information."
The two-day program also included signing of two memoranda between representatives of the National Technical Library (NTL) and the international organizations ORCID and DataCite, of which Masaryk University has been a part since 1 June. The organizations have committed to support and use ORCID and DataCite persistent identifiers in the research environment of the Czech Republic. Using these identifiers, it is possible to gradually link specific projects, publications, and other scientific activities to scientists, thus further streamlining the research environment.
You can find more information about the National EOSC Tripartie Event in the press release.