Open Science is not only about making the final publication openly available. It affects decisions made throughout the research process: how data are organised and documented, where research outputs are deposited, which licences are chosen, how results can be reproduced and reused, and how knowledge is shared with other researchers and society.
Registration: 01-15 September 2026
Registration for Researchers: [here]
Registration for Librarians: [here]
This autumn, EUNICoast is launching two intensive online Open Science courses – one for researchers and one for librarians – designed to turn these principles into practical skills that participants can use in their everyday work.
The courses have been developed within EUNICoast's Research and Innovation activities (WP3) and are coordinated by the University of the Azores (UAc), with the West Pomeranian University of Technology in Szczecin (ZUT) and University of Sassari (UNISS) as co-leaders. They form part of the Alliance's wider effort to strengthen a shared Open Science culture and research capacity across its community of island, port and coastal universities.
Two courses for two complementary roles in Open Science
Researchers and librarians contribute to Open Science from different perspectives. The training therefore offers two dedicated learning paths, with content and practical assignments adapted to the professional contexts of each group.
The Intensive Online Open Science Training for Researchers is addressed to researchers at all career stages, from R1 to R4. It follows Open Science across the research lifecycle and develops participants' ability to apply FAIR principles, manage and share research data, use Open Access and open licences, improve research reproducibility, collaborate through open platforms and communicate Open Science practices effectively.
The Intensive Online Open Science Training for Librarians focuses on the growing role of libraries as facilitators and enablers of Open Science. Participants will develop competencies in supporting Data Management Plans and FAIR data practices, advising on repositories, metadata and persistent identifiers, supporting Open Access and licensing decisions, contributing to institutional Open Science strategies and working with the digital infrastructures on which open research increasingly depends.
Participation in the librarians' course is open to library professionals from EUNICoast partner institutions as well as representatives of libraries cooperating with EUNICoast partner universities.
From FAIR data to citizen science: Open Science across the research lifecycle
Both courses cover a broad spectrum of Open Science practices through several thematic modules.
Participants will work with FAIR principles and research data management, open software, research reproducibility, Open Access and open licensing. The programme also addresses collaborative platforms, open peer review, responsible research evaluation, institutional Open Science policies, citizen science, Open Educational Resources, and the promotion and communication of Open Science.
The two courses share this common Open Science foundation but approach it through different professional workflows.
Almost three months to learn – at your own pace
The courses have been designed around the realities of researchers' and librarians' working lives. Rather than concentrating 75 hours of training into a short and demanding period, the programme will run for almost three months, allowing participants to combine professional development with research, teaching and other institutional responsibilities.
Both courses have a total workload of 75 hours and will be delivered fully online in English. Much of the learning will take place asynchronously through Moodle, allowing participants to work through the materials and assignments at their own pace within the overall course schedule.
The self-paced format does not mean learning in isolation. Short instructional materials are combined with case studies, practical exercises, tool demonstrations, quizzes and applied tasks. Online collaboration and problem-based activities will complement individual work, creating opportunities to compare approaches across institutions and professional contexts.
This flexible format was deliberately chosen to make participation possible across EUNICoast institutions and staff categories while maintaining a structured learning pathway and clearly defined outcomes.
How will participants know what they have learned?
The programme is designed to measure progress, not only participation.
At the beginning of the course, participants will complete a pre-test establishing their starting point. At the end, a post-test will make it possible to compare results and document progress made during the training.
What will participants be able to do after the course?
By completing the programme, researchers are expected to strengthen their ability to apply FAIR principles in research workflows, use Open Access and open licensing appropriately, improve research reproducibility, collaborate in international and interdisciplinary Open Science environments and communicate Open Science practices to different audiences.
Library professionals will develop these competencies from a research-support perspective. They will be better prepared to guide researchers in applying FAIR principles, advise on Open Access and licensing, support reproducible research, work with repositories, metadata systems and persistent identifiers, deliver Open Science guidance and training, and contribute to institutional Open Science strategies.
The ambition is therefore not simply for participants to know more about Open Science, but to be able to put it into practice.
The journey starts together on 18 September
Although much of the programme is self-paced, the learning journey will begin together.
An online Opening Session will take place on 18 September 2026 at 13:00 CEST (Warsaw time).
During the session, participants will be introduced to the course structure, learning activities and assessment process. They will meet the researchers delivering the training, learn how to work through the individual components of the programme and have an opportunity to ask questions before beginning their own learning pathway.
Building an Open Science culture across EUNICoast
The courses are one part of a broader Open Science ecosystem taking shape across EUNICoast.
Within the Research and Innovation commission, the Alliance is combining Open Science capacity building with its Common Research Agenda and the development of Digital Research Observatories designed around FAIR data and interoperability. Open Science training is also being connected with EUNICoast's work on community engagement.
The Alliance has also launched the EUNICoast Open Science Awards 2026, recognising researchers and library professionals who already make research more open, reusable and transparent through open publications, data and software, FAIR practices, repositories, metadata, training and other Open Science services.
Together, these initiatives address different sides of the same transformation: recognising good practice, building skills and creating the institutional and digital conditions in which openness can become part of everyday research.
Registration: 01-15 September 2026
Registration for Researchers: [here]
Registration for Librarians: [here]
Opening Session: 18 September 2026, 13:00 CEST (Warsaw time), online
Asynchronous learning period: 19 September - 15 December 2026
Open Science depends on infrastructure, policies and standards – but ultimately it depends on people who know how to put them into practice.
EUNICoast researchers and library professionals are invited to join the training, develop practical Open Science skills and contribute to making research across the Alliance more open, transparent, reproducible and reusable.
