National guidelines for open science
Learn about Sweden's national guidelines for open science. The guidelines provide support and guidance to actors who have overarching responsibility for the transition to open science.
On these pages you will find the key elements of the guidelines. The complete guidelines can be downloaded from the sidebar.
The guidelines are divided into three parts:
The guidelines identify shared goals for the continued development towards open science in Sweden. They aim to provide a comprehensive approach to open science and to foster a common understanding that will enable greater progress.
Six areas have been identified as particularly important to develop in Sweden. For each area, goals and priorities are formulated to contribute to a holistic approach and coordinated development.
The guidelines map, at an overall level, the most important actors and their areas of responsibility. They identify, among other things, the need for support and guidance through policies and strategies, training, resources and targeted initiatives.
The guidelines are elaborated on in a report
External link. that provides a detailed description of the current situation, scope, and basis for the guidelines. It also contains references to reports, recommendations and policies concerning open science, both nationally and internationally.
Who are the guidelines for?
The guidelines are primarily aimed at universities and higher education institutions, research funders, and other public agencies and organisations that conduct or fund research.
Why are guidelines needed?
The purpose of the guidelines is to set the direction for the continued development of open science in Sweden, to identify the key actors and their areas of responsibility, and to outline how the guidelines will be monitored and updated over time.
The guidelines will support better coordination among the actors with overall responsibility for the transition to open science. This includes, for example, sharing knowledge and experience and collaborating on monitoring and updating the guidelines.
The guidelines have been developed by the National Library of Sweden (Kungliga biblioteket, KB) on behalf of the Swedish government.
Timeline, monitoring and further development
The national framework for open science specifies that the results of publicly funded research should be published with immediate open access. For research data, the transition to open access should be fully implemented by 2026.
These guidelines provide a basis for increased efforts to reach existing targets, while a holistic approach to open science also highlights the need to further develop additional priority areas.
The overall time horizon for the national guidelines for open science has been set to 2030, to allow sufficient time for the necessary changes to take effect. This target provides an opportunity to broaden the development of open science and supports a long-term perspective. With 2030 as the time horizon, open science is also clearly linked to progress towards the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Monitoring
To get a clear overview of the progress towards open science in Sweden, the guidelines should be monitored on a regular basis. Monitoring should focus on the results achieved in the transition to open science, as well as on the extent to which the guidelines have had the intended effect.
The national work for open access to scholarly publications and to research data are monitored by the National Library of Sweden and the Swedish Research Council, respectively. The higher education institutions evaluate and monitor policies and strategies, both individually and collaboratively. Knowledge and experiences gained from this monitoring work, including best practices from other countries, should be utilised in the monitoring and design of future work.
The overall monitoring work needs to be coordinated to ensure a holistic view and shared progress. It should be done in collaboration among research performing organisations, research funders and expert agencies. Such coordination may include the exchange of knowledge and experience among the actors, as well as joint efforts to monitor and further develop the guidelines.
Further development
Given the guidelines’ emphasis on the transition as an ongoing process – as well as the continuous and somewhat unpredictable changes in the broader context – there is a need to update the guidelines regularly.
These updates should be carried out collaboratively among research performing organisations, research funders, and expert agencies every three years, beginning in 2027.
UNESCO Recommendation on Open Science
The 2021 UNESCO Recommendation on Open Science External link. is a framework of principles and approaches to create globally equitable access to scientific results and research processes, with the aim of accelerating the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.
Based on the definition set forth in the UNESCO Recommendation, open science means making scientific knowledge openly available, accessible and reusable for all. Open science encompasses all scientific disciplines, subject areas, and approaches to conducting research. The overarching goal is that openness and transparency contribute to strengthening the quality of science and trust in research. Open science fosters increased scientific collaboration and facilitates the exchange of knowledge, benefitting both science and society.
These guidelines address one of the actions UNESCO identifies as important for advancing open science – creating national policies tailored to each country's specific conditions and circumstances.