Monitoring the Swedish transition to open science
Sweden is transitioning to an open science system. To ensure quality, openness, and impact, progress is being monitored at the national level by the actors responsible for coordination.
Actors and methods in the monitoring process
Sweden’s transition to open science is being monitored through a combination of indicators, strategies, and national coordination. The Swedish Research Council (SRC), the National Library of Sweden (KB), the Association of Swedish Higher Education Institutions (SUHF), and several public agencies are responsible for following developments in publications, research data, and infrastructure. The purpose is to support long-term transformation efforts and to identify where additional measures are needed.
A number of actors collaborate in monitoring Sweden’s transition to open science. The work is based on guidelines, indicators, and national recommendations:
The Swedish Research Council coordinates and monitors open access to research data.
SRC uses indicators that measure:
- the presence of data management strategies
- how effectively the FAIR principles are applied
- access to technical and organisational resources.
The results are presented in annual reports that provide mapping and analysis.
The National Library of Sweden monitors open access to scholarly publications.
KB carries out this work by:
- collecting statistics on open publishing
- reporting on the development of publishing agreements and open platforms
- coordinating national initiatives on publishing solutions.
The results are presented in annual reports that provide mapping and analysis.
The Association of Swedish Higher Education Institutions (SUHF) supports the universities' work through a roadmap and practical guidance.
Monitoring is carried out locally and is based on:
- each higher education institution formulating an action plan with its own goals and indicators
- internal monitoring for members, through self-assessment and regular review
- the possibility to develop common templates and indicators within SUHF’s network but voluntary use of these.
Other expert agencies, such as Digg and research funding bodies, contribute technical standards and requirements that are monitored within the scope of their respective mandates.
Together, these efforts constitute a monitoring framework that enables the tracking, support, and adjustment of Sweden’s transition to open science at both strategic and operational levels.