Armenia

Armenia

Overview

EOSC Steering Board representatives

Armenia’s Open Science landscape is aligned with Horizon Europe’s priorities, with NOSCI (the Armenian National Open Science Cloud Initiative)— established through the NI4OS-Europe project—focusing on EOSC-compatible infrastructure and policy development. NOSCI’s creation supports Armenia’s integration into the European Open Science Cloud, fostering data accessibility and collaboration. Armenia’s participation in OpenAIRE further enhances these goals, connecting national research outputs to European networks and advancing Open Science practices like data sharing and transparency. Together, NOSCI, EOSC, and OpenAIRE strengthen Armenia’s contribution to Europe’s Open Science ecosystem.

The ARAR Digital Library contains over 260,000 digital objects, offering a comprehensive repository of academic materials. It plays a key role in promoting open access and enhancing research dissemination within Armenia. The platform supports the sharing and accessibility of scientific publications, aligning with the country’s efforts to integrate into the global Open Science ecosystem.

The Erasmus+ initiative “Strengthening Research Management and Open Science Capacities of HEIs in Moldova and Armenia” (MINERVA) project was another milestone contributing to Armenia’s Open Science development. The project involved collaboration between several Armenian institutions, including the Armenian State University of Economics, Yerevan State Medical University, Yerevan State University, and the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture & Sport. Through MINERVA, these organizations worked together to draft policies aimed at enhancing research management and Open Science practices in Armenia.

National Structure:

Via the NI4OS project Armenia established the Armenian National Open Science Cloud Initiative. It’s stated objectives are:

  • Deploying and operating a national infrastructure for the resources and services related to the Open Science Cloud related to the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC)
  • Integrating the national infrastructures and services into the EOSC while creating synergies at a national level between the relevant stakeholder organisations of EOSC.
  • Supporting the academic and research community with defining and implementing Open Science and Open Science Cloud services and policies as defined by the European recommendations and policies

Policies

Armenia currently lacks a national Open Science or Open Access policy. However, several research institutions, universities, and digital libraries have established policies for disseminating and providing open access to scientific publications from publicly funded research. These include research institutions like the Byurakan Astrophysical Observatory and the Institute of Geological Sciences, universities such as Yerevan State University and Yerevan State Medical University, and digital libraries and museums like the Fundamental Scientific Library of the National Academy of Sciences and the National Library of Armenia.

The strategy focuses on OS within organizations by assessing the current situation, identifying challenges, and aligning with the institution’s strategic priorities. It aims to improve OS practices and offer researchers access to OS data, enhancing their research and increasing the global visibility of their intellectual outputs.

EOSC in Practice

Embracing the principles of transparency, reproducibility, and accessibility, these examples highlight the innovative approaches adopted by researchers across various disciplines. From open data sharing and collaborative platforms to pre-registration and open peer review, these practices enhance scientific integrity and contribute to the advancement of knowledge.