National Plan for Open Science (NPOS) 2021‑2027

Abstract

The National Plan for Open Science (NPOS) 2021-2027 was established by Ministerial Decree No. 268, which aims to make open science the standard practice in Italy. It focuses on transparency, cooperation, and the accessibility of scientific knowledge. A distinctive feature of Italy's approach is the establishment of the Italian Competence Centre on Open Science, FAIR, and EOSC. This center serves as a national network of experts providing support and guidance on open science practices, the application of FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) principles, and participation in the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC).

The plan mandates that research data, publications, software, and other digital objects funded by public resources should be openly accessible by default, in alignment with FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) principles.

Exceptions to openness (e.g., data confidentiality, security concerns, or intellectual property rights) must be explicitly justified, following the concept of "as open as possible, as closed as necessary."

Overview

Country	Italy
Start date	2022
Annual Budget	n/a
Responsible organisation(s)	Ministry
Target group(s)	Researchers, universities, public research institutions, and the general public.
Policy instrument type	Open Science Policy Document

Background

This plan is part of the National Research Programme 2021-2027 and aligns with the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC) initiative. It aims to create an open ecosystem of publications, data, analysis tools, and ICT infrastructures

Objective(s)

To enhance research and scientific teaching, promote knowledge as a common good, and ensure that everyone can access the results of scientific research

Public access URL

https://www.mur.gov.it/sites/default/files/2022-06/Piano_Nazionale_per_la_Scienza_Aperta.pdf

All tags

• Data governance for trust
• Italy
• 2022
• Ministry
• Established researchers
• Higher education institutes
• Students
• Private R&D
• Public research institutes
• Strategies, agendas and plans
• Open access by default

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