At the annual face-to-face meeting, representatives from universities, funders, national infrastructures, and research organisations reviewed key developments from the past year and agreed on a set of shared priorities for 2026.
Initiated in the summer of 2024 with seven members, the network has since grown into a broad coalition, including Leiden University, Maastricht University, Utrecht University, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, University of Amsterdam, University of Groningen, TU Delft, SURF, ZonMw, NWO OSNL, KNAW, the eScience Center, UNL, Vereniging Hogescholen, KB, UKB, the Netherlands Reproducibility Network, DCC-PO and the Taskforce for Applied Research SIA. What unites this diverse group is a shared commitment to open science and to accelerating the transition to open, community-governed research information data and systems.
How we work together
The network deliberately maximizes the limited time available to its members by seeking synergies with ongoing local, national and international developments wherever possible. At its core, the group is both a space for discussion and for action: agreeing on priorities, developing joint positions and identifying the conditions needed to make the transition possible. The group is intentionally inclusive, also welcoming institutions that have not (yet) signed the Barcelona Declaration.
This way of working delivers several benefits, including peer learning and support that build confidence in tackling complex transitions (for example, learning to work with open data). Shared experimentation increases efficiency by avoiding duplication of effort, and collective reflection helps embed open research information within broader academic reforms.
Coordination with existing structures is an important aspect of the group’s work - with members active in numerous discussions and decision-making networks, insights and positions can travel efficiently between the different forums. Perhaps most importantly, the network has proven to be a source of inspiration, drawing in institutions to learn from others and prepare for their own next steps.
What was achieved, what remains to be done
Across members, 2025 was marked by significant milestones: multiple organisations decided to end their Web of Science or Scopus licenses and open metadata became the default for several evaluation and monitoring activities.
At the same time, common challenges emerged. These include ensuring data quality in open sources, managing deep integrations of open systems in local environments, securing organisational buy-in for the technical requirements of the transition such as PID implementation, as well as avoiding new forms of lock-in as AI-driven tools enter the research assessment landscape.
Against this backdrop, the network agreed on a focused set of joint themes for 2026.
2026 priority themes
1. Web of Science / Scopus: coordination and strategy: With license cancellations and renegotiations unfolding across institutions and nationally, the group agreed that 2026 should be used to develop a collective vision. This includes sharing experiences, inventorying use cases and preparing advice for national negotiations. The aim is also to ensure that decision-making on the topic remains grounded in the values of openness, transparency and sustainability, and not focused only on cost considerations.
2. Open research information use cases: Rather than replicating closed systems in an open format, the group wants to explore where open research information enables new and better use cases - especially for outputs other than articles, such as software, data and other contributions. This work will also connect to the international Barcelona Declaration working groups and ongoing discussions around OpenAlex and OpenAIRE in the Research Intelligence Network Netherlands.
3. SEP, open metadata and assessment practices: With open research information formally embedded in the new Strategy Evaluation Protocol 2027-2033 (to be published in the first quarter of 2026), which will be published in the coming months, the attention of the group now shifts to ensuring that institutions are well supported in using it to implement the new SEP. In 2026, the network will strive to support communication within institutions, share experiences with hybrid and comparative assessments using open and closed data, and explore opportunities to make self-evaluation reports themselves more easily findable and accessible.
4. Current research information systems (CRIS) and procurement: Participants highlighted the growing importance of ensuring that CRIS systems and tenders align with Barcelona Declaration principles. While still exploratory, this theme would focus on clarifying what 'Barcelona-proof' requirements could look like and learning from international initiatives such as EuroCRIS and 'going local' developments in other countries.
5. Responsible AI and open research information: Proprietary AI-driven tools for discovery, assessment and even reproducibility are in rapid development. The network agreed that there is a real risk of closed systems reemerging through AI if the relationship between openness and digital autonomy is not addressed early on. In 2026, members will put the issue on the agenda of the international Barcelona Declaration steering committee as well as of related national fora, such as the national Digital Autonomy Commission.
6. Open data for rankings and funding: Although not all members can directly influence institutional ranking data practices, the network will support opportunities to advocate for open ranking data where possible. In parallel, several members are open to collaborating on making grant data more accessible, particularly through APIs and PID-based infrastructures, following on from the NWO example.
Would you like to get involved?
A recurring theme throughout the meeting was the value of learning from each other’s concrete implementation choices. While transitions are happening at different speeds and in different ways, the Barcelona Declaration network provides a space to share lessons learned and coordinate where appropriate.
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If you would like to learn more and get involved, consider the following: Join the Netherlands Barcelona Declaration Network: If your institution is not yet a signatory but would benefit from participating, contact Ana Ranitovic to get involved. Discover the PID to Portal project: Learn how our network contributes to this initiative by improving the monitoring of open research information and strengthening the governance of the Netherlands Research Portal. Contribute to the Paris Roadmap to Open Research Information: Help shape the future of open research information by getting involved in the implementation of the international roadmap. Explore the Strategic Plan for an Integrated Infrastructure for Open Science (SPII): Read about SPII and OSNL-funded open science infrastructure projects, including Broccoli, the Dutch hub for healthy open research information. |
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