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UW Open Science and Scholarship Policy

The Open Science and Scholarship Policy of the University of Warsaw

On July 31, 2025, Prof. Alojzy Z. Nowak, Rector of the University of Warsaw, signed a decree introducing the Open Science and Scholarship Policy at the university. This policy defines, among other things, the basic assumptions and principles concerning open access to the results of research conducted at UW, including publications and research data.

The adoption of the UW Open Science and Scholarship Policy achieves one of the key objectives of Action V.3.3 (Development, adoption and implementation of open science policy at the University of Warsaw) of the “Excellence Initiative – Research University” (IDUB) Programme.

It is also aligned with the 2015 recommendations of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, formulated in the document Directions for the Development of Open Access to Publications and Scientific Research Results in Poland.

Concurrently with the development of the Policy, an open infrastructure was being established at the University, comprising two institutional repositories:

• UW Scientific Publications Repository (ReIn UW): repozytorium.uw.edu.pl, managed by the University of Warsaw Library;

• UW Research Data Repository (DB UW): danebadawcze.uw.edu.pl, managed by the Interdisciplinary Centre for Mathematical and Computer Modelling (ICM UW).

Starting February 1, 2026, every scientific publication authored by an individual affiliated with the University of Warsaw will be submitted to the UW Institutional Repository. Research data, in turn, should be placed in the UW Research Data Repository or a chosen trusted disciplinary repository.

The adoption of the Open Science and Scholarship Policy and the launch of the two UW repositories enable, among other things:

• Equal Access to Knowledge – Thanks to the repositories, it is possible to provide free and easy access to the full texts of publications and research data. The compliance of the repositories with WCAG 2.1 guidelines also guarantees accessibility for people with disabilities.

• Greater Visibility and Research Impact – Sharing scientific work results in repositories increases their accessibility, citation count, and reuse, which supports the development of science and enhances the prestige of researchers.

• Transparency and Research Replicability – Open data and publications allow for the verification of results, the analysis of research methods, and the building of trust in science.

• Facilitated Cooperation and Resource Efficiency – Open access promotes knowledge sharing and avoids the duplication of research, which allows for better management of time and resources.

• Improved Data Quality – Repositories support good data management practices, fostering careful planning, documentation, and description of the research process.

• Strengthening Teaching and Citizen Science – Open resources can be applied in education and engage the public in research processes.

• Fair Use and Promotion of Open Licenses – The policy promotes knowledge sharing while respecting copyright and ethical principles.

• Easy Bibliography Management – The publication repository enables the creation and export of publication lists in various formats, supporting reporting processes.

• Introduction of Intuitive Tools and Integration with UW Systems – A modern interface and the ability to connect the repositories with other IT tools facilitate their use for both individual users and the entire institution.

Openness in Science

By introducing the Open Science and Scholarship Policy, the University of Warsaw joins the ranks of universities promoting openness in science. More about the benefits of the new infrastructure can be read in the article published in the university magazine “UW” (No. 3/112, 2024).

A Guide to the Key Principles of the University of Warsaw’s Open Science and Scholarship Policy

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 establish a special advisory team, by the Rector’s decision of 29 December 2025, Karolina Minch was appointed as the Proxy for Open Science and Scholarship for the 2024–2028 term. Since 2020, she has held a similar position supporting the Director of the University of Warsaw Library. Her current scope of activities and responsibilities will now be significantly expanded. The main tasks of the Plenipotentiary include, among others:

• informing stakeholders about the Policy;
• participating in activities related to the creation, maintenance, and development of the University’s open research infrastructure;
• advising the Policy’s addressees on best practices consistent with the Policy;
• educating the Policy’s addressees on open access to publications and research data;
• monitoring the implementation of the Policy and reporting the results to the University authorities;
• conducting analyses and submitting proposals to the University authorities regarding the implementation of open solutions at various stages of the research process;
• coordinating the work of Proxies for Open Science within the University’s individual organisational units.

All authors of scientific publications affiliated with the University of Warsaw can continue to rely on competent and supportive assistance both from the new Proxy and from the Science Support Department of the University Library (BUW), with which she collaborates on a daily basis.

Contact

Karolina Minch

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Phone: +48 22 55 25 285

Training

In order to familiarize users with the University repositories that enable the implementation of the Open Science and Scholarship Policy, online training sessions have been held since the beginning of the 2025/2026 academic year. These sessions are conducted by the Science Support Department (Oddział Wspierania Nauki OWN) at the University of Warsaw Library (BUW), which oversees the UW Institutional Repository, and by the Interdisciplinary Centre for Mathematical and Computational Modelling (ICM UW), which supervises the operation of the UW Research Data Repository.

The schedule of upcoming training sessions and supporting materials can be found below and on the ICM UW website.

4EU+ seminars on open science

The 4EU+ Alliance invites you to the next edition of the Open for you! series of webinars and workshops focused on the practical and theoretical aspects of open science. You will learn, among other things:

What is open science and why is it important for contemporary research? 

Should research data always be open? 

Who pays for open access publishing? 

For several years, the partner universities of the 4EU+ Alliance – the University of Warsaw (Poland), Charles University (Czech Republic), Heidelberg University (Germany), Sorbonne University (France), and the University of Milan (Italy) – have been jointly organizing a training program in open science. The training is mainly aimed at doctoral students and researchers, but participation in the webinars is open to anyone interested.

Four intro webinars will be held from March to June 2026, followed by six hands-on online workshops.

Intro webinars

Scheduled for the 2026 edition:

• Open science 101: Principles, practices and challenges – an introduction to the ideas, values, and challenges of Open Science

• Research data: Should it be open, and under what conditions? – open and FAIR data, research data management, legal and ethical aspects

• Scientific publishing: Who pays for access to research? – scientific publishing models and open access

• Research quality and impact assessment: Rethinking bibliometrics – responsible research evaluation and alternatives to traditional citation metrics

The webinars will be conducted in English.

Hands-on workshops

The program includes:

• creating and analyzing Data Management Plans (DMPs),

• selecting open access journals and interpreting publishing policies (APCs, embargoes, self-archiving),

•  visualizing bibliometric data using the VOSviewer tool.

The workshops require active participation from attendees. Two dates are scheduled for each topic to enable work in smaller groups. Registration for the workshops will open after the intro webinars have been completed.

We encourage all doctoral students, researchers, and anyone interested in open science to participate. You can receive a certificate of participation. 

Registration for webinars is available via the application form.