On 9 and 10 July, the OPUS (Open and Universal Science) Project Consortium, of which YERUN is a proud member, will hold its Final Conference at the UNESCO International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP) in Paris. The event will bring together stakeholders, researchers, policymakers and institutional leaders to reflect on the progress made and discuss the future of Open Science and responsible research practices in Europe.
The two-day event will offer a comprehensive overview of the project’s achievements. The first day (9 July) is open to all interested participants, both in-person and online via Zoom, while the second day (10 July) will be reserved for members of the OPUS consortium.
This milestone event will showcase the main outcomes and key exploitable results of the project, including innovative approaches to research assessment, newly developed indicators, and practical interventions aimed at promoting and embedding Open Science across institutions.
A central focus of the conference will be the presentation of the OPUS framework for researcher assessment, which aims to transform the way research contributions are recognised and rewarded. Participants will learn about pilot implementations and concrete actions taken by Research Performing Organisations (RPOs) and Research Funding Organisations (RFOs) across Europe to advance Open Science values and practices.
By addressing how Open Science policies can be effectively implemented at both the institutional and national levels, the OPUS Final Conference will serve as a key platform for driving forward the dialogue on sustainable, transparent, and inclusive research assessment.
Main Themes & Topics of the Conference:
- Assessing Researchers and Incentivising Open Science
OPUS introduces a set of indicators and metrics that monitor and encourage the adoption of Open Science. Topics will include open access to research outputs, early and open sharing, open peer review, reproducibility, and stakeholder engagement.
- The Generic Researcher Assessment Framework (RAF)
This framework provides a holistic evaluation system for researchers based on four key categories: Proposal Development, Methods Development, Research Outputs, and Research Impact. It focuses on Open Science contributions and offers a comprehensive system for researcher assessment.
- Piloting Research Assessment Reforms
The conference will showcase real-world experiences from OPUS pilot programs at three RPOs (Nova University of Lisbon, University of Cyprus, and University of Rijeka) and two RFOs (UEFISCDI in Romania and the Research Council of Lithuania). These pilots, running from January 2024 to June 2025, assess the effectiveness of new metrics and methodologies.
- Interventions for Open Science Adoption
OPUS has created a series of interventions, including policy changes, resource allocation, repository development, awareness campaigns, and training programs. The impact of these initiatives on fostering Open Science cultures will be evaluated within pilot organisations.
Current Progress & Future Steps
As OPUS nears its conclusion in August 2025, the conference will offer insights into the ongoing implementation of Open Science reforms, the development of updated Open Science indicators, and the creation of the Open Science Career Assessment Matrix (OS-CAM2). Policy briefs and recommendations aimed at integrating Open Science into mainstream research assessment practices will also be discussed.
Full programme and registration ink.
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About the OPUS project:
The OPUS project is an EU-funded project implemented by an eighteen-organisations consortium led by The Oceanic Platform of the Canary Islands (PLOCAN). The main goal is to develop coordination and support measures to reform the assessment of research(ers).
