Results: The ISC Survey on the first draft of the UNESCO Recommendation on Open Science

The UNESCO Recommendation on Open Science is envisaged as important step in promoting a global understanding of the meaning, opportunities, and challenges of Open Science. The ISC, along with the IAP, our UN Major Group for the Scientific and Technological Community partners WFEO, and ALLEA, assisted UNESCO in gathering comments on the first draft of the Recommendation from the scientific community through an online survey at the end of 2020.

The perspectives of the international scientific community and their assessment of the draft text gathered through the survey will assist UNESCO and its Member States in the development of the final text of the Recommendation on Open Science, expected to be adopted by Member States in November 2021.

The responses were generally positive towards the UNESCO Recommendations and highlighted some key concerns and gaps.

The ISC has been contributing to mobilizing and representing the science community in this effort by advocating for and promoting Open Science as a crucial step towards realizing the vision of the Council – to advance science as a global public good. This is also one of the key priorities in the ISC Action Plan 2019-2021.

Previously, in early 2020, the ISC supported UNESCO in amplifying the global call to provide input towards the formulation of this draft Recommendation. Further, in September 2020 the ISC published a draft discussion paper, Open Science for the 21st Century, outlining the rationale for and the origins of the modern open science movement, its dimensions and its applications. The paper includes recommendations to various science systems stakeholders regarding changes necessary for the effective operation of open science.

As a result of our constant and close engagement, the ISC and its Members are invited to designate an observer with expertise in the field to the intergovernmental special committee meeting (category II) of technical and legal experts which will take place at UNESCO Headquarters from 10 to 12 May 2021.

Members are requested to communicate the name of their representatives, by 15 March 2021, to the following address: openscience@unesco.org.