Impress with openness!
Open Science and Scholarship Policy (PON) at the University of Warsaw
On February 1, 2026, paragraphs 2 and 3 of the Open Science and Scholarship Policy (PON) will come into force at the University of Warsaw, regulating the conditions for open access to the results of research conducted at the University of Warsaw in the form of publications (§ 2) and research data (§ 3). The ordinance on this matter was signed on July 31, 2025, by His Magnificence, the Rector of the University of Warsaw, Prof. Alojzy Z. Nowak. Thanks to the creation of an appropriate repository infrastructure and the introduction of the Open Science and Scholarship Policy, the University of Warsaw has joined the group of universities that have been promoting openness in science for years.
Obligations of authors of scientific publications
In accordance with the PON guidelines, every scientific publication authored by a person affiliated with the University of Warsaw and published after February 1, 2026, should be deposited in the University of Warsaw Institutional Repository (ReIn UW for short). Furthermore, access to its full content must be open to all Internet users. Research data generated in the process of scientific work should be placed in the UW Research Data Repository and/or in a selected and trusted domain repository after that date.
For authors, this does not mean that they will have to incur additional costs to publishers in the form of APC (Article Processing Charges) or ABC (Article Book Charges). The UW Institutional Repository is prepared to accept and make available versions of texts other than VoR (i.e., the final published version) – for example, preprints – as well as to determine the preferred license (open or free) and, finally, to delay open access to publications by imposing an embargo. Everything depends on the terms of the agreement with the publisher and the decision of the author depositing their text. The main idea behind the Open Science and Scholarship Policy is to archive the achievements of our university’s employees on trusted platforms belonging to the University of Warsaw on an ongoing basis and, through them, to disseminate the results of scientific work as quickly as possible (whether in the form of raw data or publications). As a result, the Open Science and Scholarship Policy of the University of Warsaw will not only improve communication between different research centers, but will also contribute to the democratization of verified and up-to-date knowledge.
The University of Warsaw Rector’s Proxy for Open Science and Scholarship
In order to coordinate the University’s activities in the field of open science and to create a special advisory team, by decision of the Rector of December 29, 2025, Karolina Minch was appointed as the representative for Open Science for the 2024-2028 term. Since 2020, she has held a similar position for the Director of the University of Warsaw Library. Currently, her area of activity and responsibility will be significantly expanded, but all authors of scientific publications affiliated with the University of Warsaw will continue to be able to count on competent and friendly assistance from both the new proxy and the Science Support Department of the BUW, with which she cooperates on a daily basis.
Training
In order to familiarize users with university repositories that enable the implementation of PON from the beginning of the 2025/2026 academic year, online training courses are conducted by OWN BUW, which administers the UW Institutional Repository, and ICM UW, which administers the operation of the UW Research Data Repository. The training schedule for the coming months and supporting materials can be found on the BUW and ICM UW websites.
Published: 23 January 2026