New Advisory Council on Open Science
La National University of Cordoba from Argentina (UNC) created a Advisory Board of the University's Open Knowledge Office (OCA-UNC) which seeks to be a plural space, with representatives from all Faculties and Secretariats of the Rectorate, aimed at promoting actions, norms and cultural transformations in line with the principles of open science at the university.
“The establishment of our University’s new Open Science Advisory Council marks a significant milestone in our institutional life. Far from being a beginning, it represents the culmination of a long process built with dedication, institutional effort, and personal commitment. This achievement is the fruit of collective work and reflects not only the high academic quality but also the vision and perseverance of all those who contributed to making it a reality. In a world that commodifies knowledge, it is essential to promote open science, ensuring that the knowledge generated at our university is accessible, useful, and shared with all of society. My sincerest congratulations to the Open Knowledge Office (OCA) team, and especially to its mentor and director, Alejandra Nardi, for her dedication and leadership.” HeldFrancisco Tamarit, from the Open Science Advisory Council for the Faculty of Mathematics, Astronomy, Physics and Computing, former Rector of the UNC.
The creation of the Advisory Council consolidates an institutional trajectory that the UNC has already been maintaining through the Open Knowledge Office (OCA) and its ongoing commitment to public access to knowledge generated by the University. Starting in 2026, it will promote the UNC's Open Science Training Program, with basic modules and specialized tracks.
La Open Knowledge Office The Office of Open Archives (OCA), created by the National University of Córdoba (UNC) in 2014, carries out promotional, training, and advisory activities to strengthen and increase the visibility of the academic and scientific output produced by the university community, and to enhance the value of the historical collections that reflect its history, located in its libraries, museums, and archives. The UNC is an active member of the International Open Archives Movement, joining other countries around the world with the motto: “Science and its results are a public and social resource.” The initiatives coordinated by the OCA include:
Ø The Digital Repository of the National University of Córdoba (RDU), a space dedicated to the storage, organization, preservation, and free access to the scientific, academic, and cultural output generated by the University community. It reflects the commitment to making the work of its professors, researchers, and students visible, both locally and internationally.
Ø The UNC Journals Portal -implemented with free software Open Journal Systems (OJS/PKP)- which provides access to 109 journals published by the UNC under the diamond open access model, which does not charge for open reading and does not charge for open publishing.
Ø The UNC Publishers Portal An institutional platform that brings together and supports the academic presses of the various faculties and units of the UNC (National University of Córdoba), it promotes the editing, management, and dissemination of scientific, academic, and cultural books in digital format. Based on the open-source software Open Monograph Press (OMP), the portal offers a comprehensive environment for the entire publishing workflow.
Ø In other open science activities, a significant set of citizen science projects stands out, led by the Faculty of Exact, Physical and Natural Sciences; the Extension Secretariat of UNC; the Faculty of Mathematics, Astronomy, Physics and Computing-FAMAF; and the Faculty of Medical Sciences of the University.
At the same time, Juan Carlos Godoy, from the Open Science Advisory Council for the Faculty of Psychology, stated: “The creation of the UNC Open Science Advisory Council is a groundbreaking milestone with regional and global resonance. In the current context of international initiatives, this Council positions UNC and Argentina as pioneers in the region, formally committing to open knowledge as an engine of equity. It is fundamental to ensuring that publicly funded research is accessible, transparent, and reproducible, thus guaranteeing that the benefits of science directly impact society. This leadership by UNC will lay the groundwork for regional collaboration and strengthen our collective contribution to the global scientific knowledge base.”
One of the challenges facing the advancement of open science is the inequity in the systems for evaluating scientific and academic output. Recently, UNC-OCA organized the webinar "Rethinking Scientific and Academic Evaluation within the Framework of Open Science," which included a presentation by FOLEC-CLACSO.
Through these initiatives, UNC consolidates its commitment to open science, the democratization of knowledge, and the international projection of its publishing output.
More about OCA-UNC and its projects
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