Research > Research Support > Open Research

Iscte - Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (Iscte) acknowledges the relevance of open research as a valuable principle sustaining the integrity and quality of its academic activities.

In conformity with global best practice and committed to the guiding principles of Open Research/Open Science/Open Scholarship of the European Commission and Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P. (FCT), Iscte fully endeavours to foster a research environment that empowers its academic community to excel in the generation, preservation and sharing of research data.

Policy Framework

Iscte's community has a policy for the management and sharing of research data, approved in November 2023. This Research Data Management and Sharing Policy reflects Iscte’s commitment to research integrity, innovation, and social impact, while simultaneously contributing to the global dialogue on the responsible and effective management of research data.

This policy complements the Iscte Open Access Policy and all the other institutional documents, including the Guidelines for Researchers on Personal Data Protection in Scientific Research Activities at Iscte , the Data Protection Policy of Iscte and the Code of Ethical Conduct in Research.

Infrastructure

Iscte has a well-developed infrastructure, ensuring interoperability between the current scientific information management system - Ciência-IUL - the institutional repository - Repositório Iscte - and the data repository - Zenodo. Also noteworthy is the implementation of a solution that highlights the relationship between different types of research outputs, including scientific publications, research data and project data management plans. For instance, a project page on Ciência-IUL provides a comprehensive overview of the project, links to team member profiles, information on the funding programme (interoperable with OpenAIRE), resulting publications, related research data, and the project's data management plan.

Research Data Catalogue

The current preservation policy requires a minimum retention period for research data of 10 years after the research project is completed. The mandatory repository for depositing research data is Zenodo. However, it may exceptionally be deposited in other reliable repositories, provided that the researchers disclose where the research data is located and that it is duly justified. All metadata Zenodo records migrate to Iscte's Institutional Research Data Catalogue, ensuring the long-term preservation of what is produced.

Workflow

The workflow in operation is the result of the synergy between Iscte’s different services, namely the Research Support Office, the Legal Office and the Ethics Council, the IT and Communication Infrastructure Services, the Information Systems Development Office, and the Iscte Library.

The curation of metadata, both for scientific publications and for datasets, is the responsibility of the Iscte Library, whose implementation criteria ensure compliance with the FAIR principles.

Human Resources Excellence in Research Award

Iscte is working on an application for the HR Excellence in Research Award, which will provide public recognition for its efforts to improve the research ecosystem. By aligning themselves with the principles of Open Science, institutions implementing HRS4R can improve the quality, transparency and societal impact of their research.

HRS4R promotes the implementation of the European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers, which emphasise the importance of ethical and professional aspects of research. HRS4R aims to create attractive working conditions and career development opportunities for researchers, to enhance collaboration and knowledge sharing.

By promoting open science practices, such as open access to publications and data, researchers who adhere to the HRS4R principles can increase the visibility and impact of their work. HRS4R encourages institutions to adopt best practice in research management and ethics, while Open Science promotes reproducibility and transparency, ensuring that research results are robust and trustworthy. Planned and implemented actions will focus on making Open Science support tools more accessible and improving the dissemination of Open Access research.

Coalition on Reforming Research Assessment (CoARA)

Iscte has been a signatory to the Agreement on Reforming Research Assessment since 2023 and also participates in the Coalition on Reforming Research Assessment (CoARA) working group to improve the understanding and measurement of societal and economic impact and regional development. In addition, Iscte participates in the Portuguese National Chapter’s working group, which will deepen and contextualise CoARA's commitments to action and the debate on research assessment reform within the Portuguese research landscape and institutional diversity.

Diamond Open Access

In terms of institutional publications, Iscte promotes the dissemination of knowledge through 7 peer reviewed journals that are indexed in international databases and follow the principles of the Diamond Open Access publication model.

Support

For further information on Open Research issues, please, contact the Research Support Office: gai@iscte-iul.pt

Iscte is highly committed to certifying individuals in the field of research data management. Some staff members have already been certified by Research Data Netherlands after completing the Essentials for Data Support Course in 2023, and by the Skills4EOSC Fellowship Programme, in 2024, following a Research Data Support internship at the University of Edinburgh.