3rd Open Science Symposium in Greece
The 3rd Open Science Symposium in Greece was successfully held with the participation of Athena. The Symposium took place on December 10-11, 2024, and was organized by the National Open Science Initiative (EOSI), under the auspices of the Ministry of Development, the Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs and Sports, and the Ministry of Digital Governance, at the premises of the National Center for Scientific Research (NCSR) “Demokritos.” The event served as a meeting point for 433 participants, primarily from the academic and research community, as well as policymakers and strategic stakeholders, offering the opportunity for active participation both in person and online.
The first day of the Symposium, held as part of the EOSC National Tripartite Event, focused on presenting the Open Science ecosystem in Greece. The second day emphasized educational sessions and the practical application of tools and methods that support Open Science.
EOSC National Tripartite Event
The first day of the symposium opened with greetings from representatives of the political leadership, who expressed their support and expectations for the outcomes of the event. They also briefly referred to actions taken so far and the next steps for promoting scientific research in the country.
The session began with remarks by the General Secretary for Higher Education at the Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs, and Sports, Prof. Nikolaos Papaioannou. Following this, the General Secretary for Information Systems and Digital Governance at the Ministry of Digital Governance, Prof. Demosthenes Anagnostopoulos (via an online connection), addressed the audience. Next, the General Secretary for Research and Innovation at the Ministry of Development and Investments, Mr. Anastasios Gaitanis, took the floor.
On behalf of the host organization, Mr. Georgios Nounesis, Director and President of the Board of the National Center for Scientific Research “Demokritos,” emphasized the institution's commitment to continuing its support for Open Science. Additionally, the President of the National Initiative for Open Science (NI4OS), Mr. Spiros Athanasiou, delivered his greeting.
The Actions of the National Initiative for Open Science
The President of the National Initiative for Open Science (NI4OS) provided an analysis of the Initiative's origins, explaining how it began as a response to the need for a national strategy and support for Open Science in Greece. Subsequently, Ms. Elli Papadopoulou, Greece's representative for OpenAIRE and a scientific associate at the Athena Research Center, highlighted the importance of Open Science. She emphasized the need for enhanced collaboration and the implementation of policies that promote open access to data, publications, and software in Greece, aligned with European strategies.
International Initiatives and Strategies for Open Science
Professor Giannis Ioannidis, former national representative, former Vice-President, and permanent expert at the European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI), analyzed the role of ESFRI research infrastructures in shaping Open Science ecosystems. He highlighted their contribution through collaboration across scientific fields and the integration of services from the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC). Ahmad Zein, a representative of CHIST-ERA, presented the policies and tools they are developing to promote Open Science. Additionally, he highlighted examples of how funding organizations are being mobilized to implement Open Science at the national level, while emphasizing reproducibility as a key challenge. Federica Garbuglia from EUA presented the priorities and strategies for universities to adopt Open Science through the 2025 Agenda, offering guidance on open access, FAIR research data, and research assessment. She also referred to EUA’s collaboration with CoARA, aiming to reform research evaluation and academic careers by promoting open, transparent, and responsible practices, with a focus on balancing quantitative and qualitative criteria.
This was followed by a presentation by Pantelis Tziveloglou, a representative of the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC), on the development of the EOSC Federation, supported by Horizon Europe, with the goal of launching its operations in 2025. During his speech, the strong Greek participation was emphasized. The session concluded with Klaus Tochtermann from EOSC-A, who focused on the consortium's central role in shaping and implementing the EOSC Federation. He also highlighted the coordination of collaborations, policies, and actions aimed at ensuring the effective operation of the federation of nodes by 2025.
Shaping Policies and Strategies for Open Science
During the "Policy Forum," representatives from national organizations and public administration agencies presented their roles and initiatives in supporting Open Science. Specifically, Antonis Stasis, representing the General Secretariat of Information Systems and Digital Governance (GSISDG); Lia Ollandezou, representing the Association of Greek Academic Libraries (HEAL-Link); Maria Christoula, representing the General Secretariat for Research and Innovation (GSRI); Maria-Xeni Garezou, representing the Ministry of Culture; Katerina Kouravelou, representing the Hellenic Foundation for Research and Innovation (HFRI); and Katerina Lenaki, representing the Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs, and Sports, showcased their actions. The subsequent discussion focused on the measures necessary to strengthen Open Science in Greece. Notably, all participants concluded that collaboration and coordination among policy-making and executive bodies are essential.
Case Studies of International Initiatives and Greek Research Contributions
As part of the Symposium, case studies from other countries were presented, highlighting initiatives and strategies centered on promoting open access to publications, research evaluation, the creation of services linked to the EOSC, infrastructure development, and the enhancement of research data management. Finland was represented by Johanna Laiho-Kauranne, the Netherlands by Daniel Bangert, Hungary by Judit Fazekas-Paragh, Croatia by Ivan Maric, Cyprus by Sylvia Koukounidou, and Greece by Evangelia Athanasaki. Subsequently, representatives of the Greek research community briefly presented their projects and contributions in developing skills, supporting research infrastructures, and ensuring interoperability in alignment with European developments.
Completion of the First Day
The day concluded with the presentation of scientific posters from various projects, which were displayed outside the auditorium, as well as with a Welcome Reception that provided participants with an opportunity to interact and discuss in a more relaxed environment.
Second Day of the Symposium
On the second day of the Symposium, Christos Papatheodorou, Professor at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, presented the key concepts and current practices related to Open Science. Following this, Marianna Katrakazi, Legal Advisor at OpenAIRE, analyzed the legal issues arising in the implementation of Open Science and research in general. The session concluded with a speech by Phoebe Kountouri, Professor at the Athens University of Economics and Business, who presented the contribution of Open Science to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
Workshop Time: Opportunities for Education and Idea Exchange
During the second session, participants were divided into two groups based on their interests and attended introductory talks on Open Access to publications and FAIR and Open Data. This was followed by a presentation of the EOSC EU Node, which included a live demo, effectively communicating its functionality in a practical way.
In the next session, members of the Hellenic Association for Open Science presented tools and services that contribute to Open Science through interactive workshops. Finally, participants had the opportunity to learn about the main tools, infrastructures, and licensing practices used in Social and Human Sciences, as well as in Physical Sciences and Technology.
Symposium Summary
The Symposium served as a platform for the exchange of knowledge and views regarding the current state of Open Science in Greece and Europe, with experts analyzing the latest developments and strategies. At the same time, a constructive discussion emerged through the panels, highlighting the challenges and opportunities offered by Open Science. Specifically, tools and services supporting Open Science were presented, and ways to leverage them to enhance collaboration and innovation at both national and European levels were discussed.
A key milestone of the Symposium was the interest shown by political leadership, as well as their statement of continued support for Open Science, recognizing its importance to the research community. In turn, the Hellenic Association for Open Science (ΕΠΑΕ) committed to promoting strategies followed by other countries for implementing Open Science and revising the National Open Science Plan.
The full program with speakers is available here. For those wishing to watch the first day of the Symposium, the related material can be found at the following link. Also, here is the Press Release published by EOSC.