Lithuania

Lithuania

Overview

European Commission

EOSC Steering Board representatives

The Research Council of Lithuania has a mandate of providing the procedure for implementation of open access to the R&D. The Ministry of Education, Science and Sport participates Open Science activities as policy maker and has set up a steering group to provide recommendations to the Minister on Open Science issues in Lithuania.

Lithuania has a Law on Research and Higher Education which covers Open Access, stipulating that publicly funded R&D results must be made publicly available in open access ways and means, insofar as this does not contradict the legislation regulating the protection of personal data, intellectual property, professional, commercial, or state and official secrets, as well as the protection of national security and defence and the protection of law-enforcement activities, and the activities of public security.

Lithuania participates in EOSC projects and developments, such as through EOSC Nordic.

At the institutional level Universities actively promote and to implement open science ideas by adopting institutional policies, giving training to researchers on open science practices and ensuring open access to research results.

In 2023 Vytautas Magnus University (LT) became the first Lithuanian university to receive the observer status in the EOSC Association.

Research Council of Lithuania

The Research Council of Lithuania supports and participates in the open-access policy formation and encourages the dissemination of the open access concept. Its main activities are:

  • evaluating research activity
  • setting open access requirements for research projects
  • participating in the Open Science movement
  • advocating open access among policymakers,  researchers and knowledge managers
  • supporting global, national and institutional initiatives fostering open access

In 2016 The Research Council of Lithuania issued “Guidelines on Open Access to Scientific Publications and Data“.  The Guidelines will expire in 2028.

In 2024 the Research Council of Lithuania adopted The Description of the Procedure for Open Access to the R&D Results. The document establishes the Principles and requirements for open access to research publications and data, provides recommendation for research data repositories, offers guidance to research and higher education institutions on incentives and citizen involvement, sets monitoring areas. The provisions of the Description of the Procedure will be applied gradually and will enter into full force in the beginning of 2030.

The Research Council of Lithuania plans to develop an action plan and a description of the monitoring procedure for open access to R&D results by the end of 2026.

Contact: info@lmt.lt

Policies

The Ministry of Education, Science and Sport (MESS) of Lithuania is the main policymaker that is a part of acting government policy-making as well as the main fosterer of education, science and sport-related national agreements, strategies, and international involvement in platform. One of the goals of the MESS is to form the state policy in the field of research and development, and to organise, coordinate and control their implementation.

The Law on Higher Education and Research of the Republic of Lithuania states that: “in order to ensure the quality of research conducted with funds from the state budget, to ensure transparency in the use of funds from the state budget, increase the re-usability of research results and to promote scientific progress, the results of all research conducted in state higher education and research institutions must be made publicly available in open access ways and means[…]” (Article 51)

On August 30, 2024 the Research Council of Lithuania adopted The Description of the Procedure for Open Access to the R&D Results. The document establishes the principles for open access to research publications and data, offers guidance to research and higher education institutions on incentives and citizen engagement, and sets monitoring areas. The provisions will be implemented gradually, with full enforcement in early 2030. The Research Council of Lithuania plans to develop an action plan and a description of the monitoring procedure for open access to R&D results by the end of 2026.

The Ministry of Education, Science and Sport €10 million from EU Investments Fund for straightening Lithuanian research data ecosystem and integration into EOSC. Project “Integration into EOSC” will be implemented in two phases: (1) creation of feasibility study to detail investment areas (2024-2025), and (2) upgrading data repositories, developing competencies and coordination (2026-2029). Project will be implemented by the Research Council of Lithuania.

Open Science policies and resource provisioning in the Nordic and Baltic countries

The final report provides an update on the fragmented status of OS policies, the different choices for provisioning infrastructure resources and services in the participating countries, and the progress to establish an EOSC perspective within their national policies. Download now arrow_forward

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.

People

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    NTE Nordic & Baltic

    4 October 2022, Tallinn