University of Galway joins international open research initiatives

University of Galway has recently signed three international initiatives that reflect the University’s wider commitment to Open Research and align with our Research Publishing Policy. These initiatives are: (1) the Barcelona Declaration on Open Research Information, (2) OurFuture Memory, and (3) OA2020. Joining these movements is part of a wider direction of travel to support more open and transparent research information, strengthen the systems and infrastructure that underpin Open Research, and make high-quality research outputs more visible, accessible, and reusable.

Barcelona Declaration

As a Barcelona Declaration signatory, University of Galway are taking a lead in transforming the way research information is used and produced. The research information landscape requires fundamental change. Openness of information about the conduct and communication of research must be the new norm. The Barcelona Declaration has four commitments:

1. We will make openness the default for the research information we use and produce
2. We will work with services and systems that support and enable open research information
3. We will support the sustainability of infrastructures for open research information
4. We will support collective action to accelerate the transition to openness of research information

Open research information enables science policy decisions to be made based on transparent evidence and inclusive data. It enables information used in research evaluations to be accessible and auditable by those being assessed. And it enables the global movement toward open science to be supported by information that is fully open and transparent.

Our Future Memory 

Our Future Memory supports the digital rights of libraries to protect current and future access to information. The Digital Rights Statement aims to safeguard the essential digital activities of libraries, archives, and museums (collectively referred to as “memory institutions”). It urges policymakers and communities to ensure these institutions retain the same rights and responsibilities online that they have historically held offline.  

The rights and responsibilities that memory institutions have always enjoyed offline must also be protected online. The Four Rights to accomplish this are:

1. collect materials in digital form
2. preserve digital materials
3. provide controlled access to digital materials
4. cooperate with our future memory institutions.

The institutional support for this campaign has been endorsed by the Academic Council, strengthening the global coalition defending memory institutions’ digital rights. We join more than sixty umbrella organisations and institutions worldwide that have endorsed the Four Rights. 

Recognising the vital link between historical preservation and future learning, the University emphasises the necessity of these rights for the academic community. As stated in our endorsement:

“The University of Galway Library is proud to preserve and make accessible the scholarly and cultural record of centuries past. We are very concerned about any limitations to our ability to guarantee the preservation and accessibility of content produced today for scholars and learners of the future. We therefore whole-heartedly endorse the protection of our Digital Rights and the Our Future Memory campaign.”

OA2020 

OA2020 is a global alliance pursuing the large-scale implementation of free online access to, and largely unrestricted use and reuse of scholarly works. The OA2020 Initiative was established to deliberate on concrete actions that would finally offer an incisive, feasible and rapid path toward an open information environment.  

Building on the 2003 Berlin Declaration on Open Access to Knowledge in the Sciences and Humanities, and the pursuant, urgent Mission Statement of 2013, OA2020 aims to accelerate the transition to open access by transforming the existing corpus of scientific journals from their current subscription system to open access. The transformation envisioned by OA2020 is founded on analysis that shows there is already enough money within journal publishing to allow for a transition to open access that will be – at a minimum – cost-neutral. 

CoARA

Underpinning all of these is our dedication to the Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA), which University of Galway joined in 2022. 

We are also members of the Irish National Chapter.

The National Chapter provides a platform for Irish members of CoARA to exchange knowledge and mutual learning on issues that are specific to Ireland, such as peer review processes, revision of promotion criteria, adoption of DORA and/or other statements on the responsible use of research metrics. 

The four core commitments of CoARA are as follows: 

1. Recognise diverse contributions to research 
2. Base research assessment primarily on qualitative evaluation 
3. Abandon inappropriate uses of journal- and metric-based evaluation 
4. Avoid the use of rankings of research organisations in research assessment 

By signing these three initiatives, University of Galway is defending digital autonomy within our institution and more generally, which promotes a thriving and resilient academic ecosystem.

For more information on how the Library can help you make your research more open, transparent, and rigorous, read our guide to Open Research Practices.