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Open Science in the Swedish context

The National Guidelines for Open Science

Erik Stattin | Unit for Research Collaboration

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Outline

9.00–10.30

Welcome!
NLS and open access to scholarly publications

Mandate for NLS
Current reponsibilities
Prior work on open science

The National Guidelines for Open Science

Background and the role of the guidelines
In depth

Goals and priorities
Actors and reponsibilities
Guidance and support

Current status and future work�

10.30–11.00�Fika!
11.00–12.00 �Presentation of KB and library collections

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Agency regulation for NLS (as of 2022)

1 §

Kungl. biblioteket är Sveriges nationalbibliotek och en nationell forskningsinfrastruktur.

Myndigheten ska samla in, beskriva, bevara och tillhandahålla fysiskt och digitalt material som behövs för att fullgöra denna uppgift.

Through its activities, the agency shall contribute to the quality of Swedish research and the development of the democratic society. …

2 §

The agency shall

provide a comprehensive data source for the evaluation of Swedish scholarly publications,
provide a national digital platform for open access Swedish scholarly journals,
coordinate, follow up, and promote collaboration in the work for open access to scholarly publications, and each year publish a report containing a comprehensive mapping, analysis, and assessment of the national work on open access to scholarly publications, and
each year publish a report presenting the total expenditures for scholarly publishing at universities and higher education institutions that are publicly funded or have the authority to award degrees under the Act (1993:792) on the Right to Award Certain Degrees. ... �

3 §

Myndigheten ska ha en nationell överblick över och främja samverkan inom det allmänna biblioteksväsendet i enlighet med 18 § bibliotekslagen (2013:801).

Myndigheten ska tillhandahålla informationssystem och verka för utveckling och samordning av digitala tjänster inom det allmänna biblioteksväsendet. Förordning (2022:1311).

Förordning (2008:1421) med instruktion för Kungl. Biblioteket; my translation in parts.

This slide outlines the formal government regulation that defines KB’s responsibilities.

According to the regulation, KB is both the National Library and part of Sweden’s national research infrastructure. This means that its mission goes beyond traditional library services — it plays a central role in supporting research and preserving knowledge for the nation.

KB is tasked with collecting, describing, preserving, and providing access to both physical and digital material — ensuring long-term access to resources that support research and democratic development.

Under §2, KB also has specific mandates related to open science:

It must provide data to evaluate scholarly publications in Sweden — essentially supporting bibliometric and research analysis.
It’s responsible for running a national platform for open access journals — this helps promote Swedish research and ensures it is freely accessible.
KB coordinates and monitors national efforts for open access and publishes annual reports to analyze progress in this area.
It also tracks and reports on how much publicly funded higher education institutions spend on scholarly publishing. This brings transparency to costs like APCs (article processing charges).

§3 gives KB a wider role in coordinating the public library system, especially through the development of digital services and infrastructures.

In short, KB is not just a library — it’s an important national actor in open science policy, digital infrastructure, and scholarly communication.

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National Library of Sweden and Open Science

Active role in national open access community since 2006.
Government assignment since 2017 to coordinate Open Access to scholarly publications.
Government assignment in 2019 to develop a publishing platform for Swedish Open Access journals.
Government assignment in 2021 on Open Educational Resources and Citizen Science. Reported in 2022 and 2023.
Coordinate the Bibsam consortium – leverage to transform from subscriptions to open access publishing. Negotiates licensing and publishing agreements on behalf of Swedish universities, university colleges, as well as public agencies and research institutes

Photo credit: Jens Östman/KB

This slide gives an overview of the National Library’s expanding role in open science in Sweden.

KB has been active in the open access community since 2006, which makes it one of the earlier national actors engaging with this shift toward openness.

In 2017, KB received an official government assignment to coordinate national efforts around Open Access to scholarly publications. This was a key moment that formalized its role and responsibility in shaping the Swedish open access landscape.

In 2019, KB was also tasked with developing a publishing platform for Swedish open access journals. This is especially important for supporting smaller or non-commercial journals, and helps ensure that high-quality, peer-reviewed research in Swedish — or from Sweden — remains visible and accessible without paywalls.

In 2021, the government gave KB an assignment to explore Open Educational Resources (OER) and Citizen Science— showing that the government’s expectations go beyond traditional publishing to broader aspects of open science. KB reported back on these initiatives in 2022 and 2023.

KB also coordinates the Bibsam consortium, which is a powerful national collaboration. Through Bibsam, KB negotiates transformative agreements — aiming to shift publishing costs from subscriptions (reading) to open access (publishing). This approach is aligned with the EU's and Sweden's goal to make research outputs more openly available.

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Open Science in Sweden

Research bill 2020, updated 2024

Research publications open access by 2021
Research data open access by 2026

Government directive from 2022

National Library of Sweden (open access to scholarly publications)
Swedish Research Council (open access to research data)

Association of Swedish Higher Education Institutions

Roadmap for Open Science 2021 and revised

Institutional policies for open access to publications and data, and open science more broadly
Funder policies at public and private funders

Swedish Research Council
Forte, Formas & Vinnova (in line with Plan S)

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Recommendations from 2022

That the government analyses which limitations the existing regulations place on an open science system and submits proposed regulatory changes.
That two types of financial support are made available: in the form of assignments to the Swedish Research Council to support Swedish scholarly publications in the transition to open access and to KB for operation and development of the technical platform ”Publicera”.
That a coordinating information- and skills-development initiative concerning FAIR for publications be implemented.
That NLS’s government commission to coordinate the transition to open access to scholarly publications becomes a permanent part of NLS’s assignment and be introduced into its regulation.
That a national open science policy be created.

Coordination of work for open access to scholarly publications – Report on assignment 2022

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National guidelines for open science

Government assignment to the National Library of Sweden from June 2022 and reported in January 2024.
”Establish national guidelines for open science from a holistic perspective. Identify common goals and priorities, charter roles and responsibilities and the need for support and guidance.”
Align with EU Open Science Policy / UNESCO Recommendation on Open Science / HEI Open Science agenda.
Collaborate with and gain knowledge from higher education institutions, research funders and other sector organisations.
Reference group with representatives from HEI:s, research funders and public interest groups.
In cooperation with the Swedish Research Council, specifically about open access to research data.
Open consultation during autumn 2023 with the opportunity to provide feedback on a proposal for national guidelines.

In June 2022, the Swedish government gave KB a new assignment: to establish national guidelines for open sciencefrom a holistic perspective.

The aim was not just to look at one part of open science — like open access — but to map out the broader landscape: from data, methods, and educational resources, to citizen science and public engagement.

The assignment included the need to:

Identify common national goals,
Clarify roles and responsibilities across different actors,
And highlight what kinds of support, infrastructure, and guidance are needed for implementation.

These guidelines are meant to be aligned with international frameworks, including:

The EU’s Open Science Policy,
The UNESCO Recommendation on Open Science, and
The open science agendas already under development at many Swedish higher education institutions.

Collaboration was key. KB worked closely with:

Universities and HEIs,
Research funders,
Sector organizations,
And a reference group including public interest representatives — to ensure that many perspectives were included.

In particular, the Swedish Research Council (Vetenskapsrådet) was a central partner — especially on questions related to open access to research data.

The process included an open consultation in autumn 2023, where stakeholders could read and give feedback on the draft guidelines — an important step to ensure transparency and community input.

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National guidelines for open science, 2024

Rapport om nationella riktlinjer för öppen vetenskap – Bakgrund och framtagande, 2024 (in Swedish)

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The function of the guidelines

The guidelines set the direction for the continued development towards open science in Sweden, outline which key stakeholders are responsible for what, and describe how the guidelines will be monitored and updated over time.
Each stakeholder is responsible for determining how these guidelines can and should be applied within their own organization. At the same time, continued coordination between stakeholders based on shared priorities is of great importance.
The primary target groups for the guidelines are research-performing and research-funding organizations.
Long-term goals require collaboration about monitoring and updating of the guidelines.

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International policies, guidelines, recommendations

National guidelines

Sector policies & strategies

University policies

Funder policies

Global

National

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Time frame, monitoring and updating

2030

2026

2021

2024

Immediate open access to scholarly publications

Open access to research data

National guidelines for open science with long-term goals

Review and update 1

Review and update 2

Coordination / Promotion / Monitoring

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Key policies and recommendations (1)

UNESCO Recommendation on Open Science (November 2021)

A common definition for open science
Core values and guiding principles for open science
Recommendations for priority areas of action�

An international framework for open science policy that recognizes disciplinary and regional differences.
Fairness and equity, diversity and inclusiveness.
Aligns with the UN agenda, for example the Sustainable Development Goals.
Ongoing collaboration between countries, regions and globally to implement and monitor open science.

UNESCO Recommendation on Open Science, 2021

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Key pillars of the UNESCO open science recommendation

Open scientific knowledge

Open science infrastructures

Open engagement of societal actors

Open dialogue with other �knowledge systems

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Key policies and recommendations (2)

Roadmap for open science for higher education institutions in Sweden (2021, revised in 2025)�
10 recommendations for promoting work on an open science system.
Responsibilities for universities and colleges in building capacities.
Relates to national guidelines for open science and missions for the National Library of Sweden and Swedish Research Council.
Aligns with the EUA Agenda for Open Science 2025.

SUHF, Roadmap for Open Science, revised 2025

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Some reading instructions

Short background to the area
Goals and priorities
Actors and reponsibilities in the area

Identifies key actors
Identifies general responsibilities for actors

Rationale for open science
Relation to international recommendations and current national goals
Implementation over time

General needs for support and guidance

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Six areas for open science to develop in Sweden

Open access to scholarly publications

Open access to research data

Open research methods

Open educational resources

Public engagement in science

Infrastructures supporting open science

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Goals and priorities (1)

That all types of scholarly publications produced wholly or partially with public funds are published with immediate open access.
That publication takes place with an open license, in accordance with the FAIR principles, and with support from guiding information provided by KB.
That costs associated with open access publishing are not borne by either readers or individual authors.
That publishing costs are transparent and decrease over time without affecting Swedish researchers' ability to disseminate research results in the form of scholarly publications.
That measures are taken to promote authors retaining the economic copyright to their works.

Open access to scholarly publications

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Key policies and recommendations

European Council Conclusions on high-quality, transparent, open, trustworthy and equitable scholarly publishing (May 2023)
Builds on council conclusions 2015–2022.
Focused on scholarly publishing primarily.
”HIGHLIGHTS that immediate and unrestricted open access should be the norm in publishing research involving public funds, with transparent pricing commensurate with the publication services and where costs are not covered by individual authors or readers…”�
”… step up support to the development of aligned institutional and funding policies and strategies regarding not-for-profit open access multi-format scholarly publishing models in Europe with no costs for authors or readers…”

European Council conclusions on high-quality, transparent, open, trustworthy and equitable scholarly publishing, 2023

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Open access in numbers – Over 10 years, share of immediate open access scholarly articles in journals

Figure: Peer reviewed journal articles per year, from Swepub, enriched with Unpaywall data. Available on kb.se - https://www.kb.se/samverkan-och-utveckling/oppen-tillgang-och-bibsamkonsortiet/oppen-tillgang/oppen-tillgang-i-siffror.html

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Open access in numbers – Over 10 years, different OA models

Figure: Peer reviewed journal articles per year and category, from Swepub, enriched with Unpaywall data.�Available on kb.se - https://www.kb.se/samverkan-och-utveckling/oppen-tillgang-och-bibsamkonsortiet/oppen-tillgang/oppen-tillgang-i-siffror.html

Only green

Hybrid

Gold

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Open access in numbers - Per field of science in 2023

Gold

Hybrid

Only green

Closed

Humanities and the Arts

Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences

Medical and Health Sciences

Natural Sciences

Social Sciences

Engineering and Technology

Figure: Peer reviewed journal articles for 2023 and field of science, from Swepub, enriched with Unpaywall data.�Available on kb.se - https://www.kb.se/samverkan-och-utveckling/oppen-tillgang-och-bibsamkonsortiet/oppen-tillgang/oppen-tillgang-i-siffror.html

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Open access in numbers – Per HEI in 2023

Gold

Hybrid

Only green

Closed

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Expenses for scholarly publishing at HEI

kb.se – Cost of scholarly publishing

Transformative agreements, Bibsam
Subscriptions, local
Subscriptions, Bibsam
Open access publishing, local
Physical acquisitions
Fully open access agreements, Bibsam
Support for open access infrastructures��In total for 2023 – 799 Million SEK�Ca 1,5 % of HEI revenue for research and doctoral-level education

Monitoring the total cost of scholarly publishing during a transition from subscriptions to an open access publishing system, since 2017

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Goals and priorities (2)

That research data produced within the framework of publicly funded research is made available, by 2026 at the latest, according to the principle of "as open as possible, as closed as necessary".
That research data, including metadata, is made accessible in accordance with the FAIR principles and with guidance provided by VR and Digg
That strategic orientations and supportive and technical measures facilitating open access to research data exist at all appropriate levels and in working methods, processes, and routines.
That cost-effective management of open access to research data is ensured. As a first step, costs associated with making data open access according to the FAIR principles should be clearly identified.
That research performing organisations, including research infrastructures, give researchers access to adequate support, knowledge-raising initiatives, and reliable, suitable, and interoperable technical solutions that enable open access to research data according to the FAIR principles.

Open access to research data

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Goals and priorities (3)

That methods, protocols, and program code are made available as open as possible and as closed as necessary to ensure transparency in the data collection and analysis processes.
That research methods are always documented and made available at a sufficiently detailed level.
That research methods are made available in such a way and with sufficient metadata that the FAIR criteria are met.
That research performing organisations, including research infrastructures, give researchers access to adequate support, knowledge-raising initiatives and reliable, suitable and interoperable technical solutions that enable open access research methods.
That standards for sharing research methods are used and developed within and based on experiences from different research areas and with regard to international development.
That reuse of research methods is facilitated through the use and specification of open licenses, when applicable.

Open research methods

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Goals and priorities (4)

That universities and university colleges have policies and guidance for the production and use of open educational resources.
That open educational resources and their metadata are shared with open licences and, to the greatest extent possible, in accordance with FAIR principles, with the aim of promoting dissemination and reuse.
That the work on open educational resources at universities and university colleges is coordinated.
That the need for and prerequisites for a common platform for collecting and disseminating open educational resources are investigated.

Open educational resources

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Results and �recommendations

Results

Open educational resources less prioritized in Sweden compared to other countries. Lack of policies and strategies. No responsible government agency.
Use of open educational resources has increased the last few years, but still at a low level. Lack of knowledge about possibilities.
Libraries, especially libraries at HEI, have an important role.
Technology is in place, but more work is needed on metadata, rights and using open licenses.

�Recommendations

Coordinating agency for stability and long-term planning.
Incentives to create, use and re-use open education resources.
Knowledge on copyright and open licensing is need for researchers.

kb.se – ”Öppna lärresurser har en outnyttjad potential”, 20 oktober 2022 �Open Educational Resources – survey and analysis, 2022

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Goals and priorities (5)

That principles and methods for involving the public in science are developed, known, and established within all research disciplines where it is relevant for the quality and advancement of research.
That research performing organisations offer enhanced methodological support and knowledge-raising initiatives for researchers on how the public can be engaged in science.
That research funding organisations develop policies and assessment criteria around collaboration, co-creation, and public engagement in science.

Public engagement in science

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Surveying the field

Democratizes Knowledge

Makes scientific knowledge accessible and understandable for everyone, not just experts.

Builds Trust in Science

Fosters transparency and accountability, strengthening public confidence in science.

Enhances Research Relevance

Aligns research with real-world needs by including public perspectives and concerns.

Encourages Citizen Science

Promotes active public participation in research—from data collection to problem-solving.

Supports Informed Decisions

Empowers individuals and communities to make evidence-based choices in daily life.

kb.se – ”Reports on public engagement in science and Open Educational Resources now published in English”, 13 December 2023

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Goals and priorities (6)

That international services and infrastructures supporting open science are funded nationally in a coordinated manner.
That particular support is provided to non-profit infrastructures for open access publishing.
That infrastructures that enable sufficient and future-proof sharing of open research methods are developed.
That standards and technical solutions that link publications, research data, and methods are used and developed.

Infrastructures supporting open science

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Actors and responsibilities

Researchers

Research performing organisations

Research funding organisations

Expert agencies

Other agencies and actors

Develop open science practices�
Implement policies�
Seek and use support and guidance

Develop and implement policies and incentives that promote and values open science�
Offer resources, support and guidance

Develop policies and incentives�
Collaborate with HEI:s and other stakeholders – norms and rules�
Fund open science

National OA monitoring –publications and data�
Develop and collaborate on monitoring of open science in Sweden�
Revise and update national guidelines

Contribute to open science�
Increase awareness of open science�
Disseminate publications and data openly

Individuals and groups

Universities, university colleges, research institutes, R&D agencies

Public research funders

National Library of Sweden, Swedish Research Council, DIGG

Research associated organisations, civil society

ERIK

The research and innovation system is complex in terms of both content and organisation, encompassing various areas of science and research, as well as public and private research-performing organisations and research funders of different types and sizes. These guidelines are designed for publicly funded research but can, of course, also provide guidance in other contexts.

RESEARCHERS�It is central to the work with open science that research is conducted by researchers, individually and in groups, and that responsibility for research processes and results lies primarily with those conducting the research. A transition to open science needs to occur within everyday research practices involving research data and scholarly publications as well as throughout the research process. How a transition to a more open science is to be achieved will vary among different scientific disciplines, research areas and operations. It is a necessary consequence of academic freedom that the responsibility for designing and carrying out processes and activities to achieve a more open science needs to lie where the research is conducted.

RPOs

All of these organisations that perform research activities have a responsibility as employers and actors within the research and innovation system to promote open science. This entails concrete support in the form of knowledge and expertise, as well as various types of technical tools, libraries with their varied services, platforms and digital storage, as well as the design and implementation of norms and rules, information and education, among other things.

�

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Need for support and guidance

Support and guidance

Policies and strategies

Normative guidance at the organisational level, in collaboration
National guidelines as the starting point

Education and guidance

Resources and targeted investments

On all levels, including students and relevant professional support staff
Formal and informal education
Concrete guidance in open research practices.
Coordinated support in legal issues related to open science.

Long-term investments in…

Establishing and maintaining infrastructures
Support functions
Skills development
Specific activities

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After the release

Conference in May 2024 on the guidelines, together with actors for research performing and funding organizations. (Recording)
Harmonizing with ongoing work in SUHF and the Bibsam consortium:

Revised Roadmap for open science, including recommendations on open educational resources and citizen science.
Updated action plan for the Bibsam consortium.

Updating and harmonization of policies at research performing and funding organisations.
Monitor international developments, particularly within the EU.
Input to Research bill of 2024.

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The way forward: collaboration and monitoring

”To strengthen the joint efforts to achieve the vision for open science, it is essential that the guidelines are implemented effectively through broad collaboration with shared responsibility among all relevant actors. This will help make Sweden more attractive for international collaborations, enhance the quality and impact of Swedish research, and ensure that research contributes to increased collaboration and societal impact through high-quality knowledge.” ��(Government budget proposal for 2025; my translation)��

”The implementation of the national guiding and supporting guidelines for open science, as reported by the National Library of Sweden, should be regularly and jointly followed up to promote a holistic approach and increase efficiency in achieving the national direction.”

(Government research bill, 2024; my translation)

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Future considerations

Artificial intelligence and open science

Address opportunities and challenges at the nexus of AI and open science.
Specifically regarding copyright and intellectual property.

Responsible open science in relation to indigenous peoples’ rights – the CARE Principles

Include a multi-faceted view on the effect of sharing and controlling research data in relating to indigenous people.
Specifically relevant in Sweden and Nordic countries, with indigenous people’s rights enshrined in law.
Recommended by UNESCO to complement the FAIR principles.

Artistic research and open science

Research data, publications and other artificats of artistic research demand special attention.

Bilden har tagits fram på KB-labb och kombinerar ett foto på KB:s audiovisuella samlingar med en målning av Joan Miró.

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kb.se/oppenvetenskap

…or beta.kb.se