Unite! has launched an Action Plan for 2025-2027 – an extended strategic roadmap – to empower open science and innovation across European universities, particularly in the Widening Countries.
The Unite! White Paper: A New University Open Science & Innovation Strategic Roadmap for Widening Countries developed under the Unite!Widening project, outlines a set of research evidence based recommendations in the form of strategic objectives, tactical actions, and operational outcomes. This robust and mesurable framework supports university managers, funders, as well as local, regional and national policymakers to turn university open science policies and strategies into action plans across European universities.
Widening countries refer to European Member States that have been identified as having moderate and emerging levels of research and innovation (R&I).
Five key objectives
1. Renewing university open science and innovation policies – Establishing comprehensive strategies to enhance university-level policies and school-level implementation plans for knowledge co-creation and technology transfer.
2. Reforming university reward systems of science and innovation – Encouraging recognition of open science contributions in academic career evaluations.
3. Promoting transdisciplinary open science support services – Developing institutional frameworks to exploit the full power of open science and drive responsible innovation.
4. Incorporating open science in education – Introducing open science principles at the bachelor’s, master’s, and PhD levels.
5. Improving digital and physical infrastructures – Ensuring seamless interoperability of university digital infrastructures and accessibility of physical facilities for knowledge co-creation.
The paper highlights the importance of open science as a driver of social and economic progress, emphasizing that knowledge should be co-created by and for all humanity.
By 2028, this initiative aims to transform universities in Widening Countries as hubs of excellence on open science and innovation management.
This white paper is a tool to advance a transparent, accessible, collaborative, and legitimate European Research Area and European Higher Education Area: a truly European Open Science and Innovation Area to build an interconnected global open science system.
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Contact Rubén Vicente-Saez via email ruben.vicente-saez@aalto.fi
