Latest updates


  • On October 2, 2025, funders, publishers, submission system providers and infrastructure organisations came together for a focused discussion on improving the collection and sharing of open funding metadata - read more

  • Launch of a Joint Task Force on Negotiating Openness of Publication Metadata, established in partnership between the Barcelona Declaration on Open Research Information and the OA2020 Initiative - read more


About the Declaration


The research information landscape requires fundamental change. The signatories of the Barcelona Declaration on Open Research Information commit to taking a lead in transforming the way research information is used and produced. Openness of information about the conduct and communication of research must be the new norm.

Open research information enables science policy decisions to be made based on transparent evidence and inclusive data. It enables information used in research evaluations to be accessible and auditable by those being assessed. And it enables the global movement toward open science to be supported by information that is fully open and transparent.

To this end, we, as organizations that carry out, fund and evaluate research, commit to the following:


Commitments



An icon of an open padlock, representing openness for commitment number one

1

We will make openness the default for the research information we use and produce



An icon of a computer screen with arrows pointing outwards, representing systems for commitment number two

2

We will work with services and systems that support and enable open research information



An icon of a partially built brick wall with a trowel, representing infrastructures for commitment number three

3

We will support the sustainability of infrastructures for open research information



An icon of top down view of a multi-person rowing boat, representing collective action for commitment number four

4

We will support collective action to accelerate the transition to openness of research information



Organizations that wish to sign the Declaration are welcome to reach out to contact@barcelona-declaration.org.



A photo of Karina Batthayany, Executive Director of CLACSO with an accompanying quote: CLACSO-FOLEC firmly advocates for research assessment methodologies that take advantage of the diversity of formats, languages and distribution channels for the dissemination of scientific knowledge. To this end, we support the use of data that reflect both the production disseminated in international repositories and that contained in regional and local databases.A photo of Marin Dacos, French Coordinator for Open Science with an accompanying quote: The declaration is fully aligned with the 20201 European Council Conclusions which were released under French Presidency. The Council conclusions indeed state that data and bibliographic databases used for research assessment should, in principle, be openly accessible and that tools and technical systems should enable transparency. It is also very well aligned with the 2016 French Law that is commonly referred to as Digital Republic LawA photo of Nathalie Drach-Temam, University President of Sorbonne University with an accompanying quote: Sorbonne University has strongly supported the move toward open science for many years and the implementation of open research practices and principles in all their dimensions within its community. Beyond its benefits for researchers and research institutions, this next step towards open research information is also a civic engagement for a more open, responsible and trustworthy university.
A photo of Paolo Galimberti, Director of the Open Science Policy Division at the University of Milan with accompanying quote: We want research information that is easy to understand, handle, and analyse, while ensuring our analyses maintain transparency and reproducibility. Thankfully, we now have the necessary tools, processes, and determination to turn this vision into reality.A photo of Marcus Munafo, Chari of the UK Reproducibility Network Supervisory Board with an accompanying quote: Transparency and rigour are core to UKRN's mission. This is as important for research information as it is for research, and so we will actively support the aims of the Barcelona Declaration.A photo of Mogens Sandfaer, Head of National Open Research Analytics, Denmark with accompanying quotation: With Open Research Information we may review and access Open Science contributions in an open way. Indeed, we may make all our research assessment transparent and FAIR - Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable – with Open Access and without any restrictions on how the Open Research Information is used and shared.