2024 marks a significant milestone for Romania as it officially joins the global open science movement through centralized open access agreements. This year, Romanian researchers will gain the ability to publish their work open access (OA) thanks to transformative agreements, such as the one recently negotiated between IOP Publishing and Anelis Plus, the Association of Romanian Universities, Research & Development Institutes, and Central University Libraries.
This transformative agreement is a pivotal component of Romania's strategy and detailed Action Plan for National Open Access to Scientific Information, aligned with financial support from the Ministry of Education. This initiative is driven by Romania's increasing output in physics research and the high quality and reputation of IOPP journals. The agreement with IOP Publishing is designed to simplify the process for Romanian authors to publish their research open access, with no barriers or caps on the amount of research that can be made openly available, thus positively impacting the reach of Romanian research in the physical sciences.
In preparation for this transition, extensive efforts have been made to inform and prepare Romanian authors and librarians. Over the past three years, Anelis Plus has organized workshops, awareness events, and meetings with specialists and researchers to raise awareness about the potential for transformative agreements. These initiatives, including a series of events called 'Awareness Days' held across various cities such as Bucharest, Timisoara, Iasi, and Cluj Napoca, have led to wide participation and a deeper understanding of open access in Romania. Raising awareness has been crucial as the concept of open access is still not fully embraced by the entire scientific community.
These efforts have resulted in a steadily increasing number of researchers willing to publish open access. The future of open science in Romania is poised for growth, with the vision that everyone, regardless of financial resources, will have access to scientific results. This commitment to open access publishing is expected to enhance the visibility and impact of Romanian scientific research, fostering a more inclusive and accessible scientific community worldwide.
Romania's dedication to open access, exemplified by its transformative agreement with IOP Publishing, is set to advance the global transition to open science, promoting transparency and inclusivity in academic research.
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