A panel discussion held on November 12, 2025, at the Technology Center Prague showed that open science in the Czech Republic is not just a technical or administrative issue, but a fundamental question of values. It brings together the pragmatism of public administration, the everyday reality of researchers, and diverse needs across disciplines. The meeting made it possible to identify real obstacles and opportunities and offered a path to systemic changes that could influence the shape of Czech science in the coming years.
After an introductory presentation of the results of the Analysis of the Potential of Open Science and FAIR Research Data Management in the Czech Republic by Kristýna Zychová, a panel discussion moderated by Michal Pazour followed. Pavel Doleček (Office of the Government of the Czech Republic), Marián Hajdúch (RVVI), Dagmar Hanzlíková (Central Library of Charles University), Lucie Núňez Tayupanta (Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports), and Tomáš Polívka (RVVI) participated in the discussion. Together, they addressed topics such as strategic direction, practical barriers, and institutional needs.
Why open science is a strategic topic for Czech research
The discussion unanimously confirmed that the key to the development of open science is long-term cooperation, participation, and sharing across the entire research ecosystem. Open science must be seen as a tool for increasing quality, transparency, and competitiveness, not as another administrative obligation.
It is particularly important to create an open, dynamic, and inclusive strategic framework that will be continuously evaluated and adjusted according to the needs of the scientific community. Only in this way can open science become a natural part of scientific work and help the Czech Republic succeed in the European and global scientific arena.
Practical recommendations and next steps
Based on the panel’s findings, identified challenges, and inspiration from abroad, several key recommendations for the further development of open science in the Czech Republic can be formulated.
1. Formulation and implementation of a national strategy
- Prepare a clear, concrete, and flexible open science strategy based on the real needs of the research community.
- Ensure broad participation of scientists, institutional leaders, funders, and open science experts.
2. Reform of evaluation and incentive systems
- Redefine the criteria for evaluating scientific work to reflect openness, FAIR data management, sharing of results, and real impact.
- Pilot new evaluation models (e.g., DORA, narrative CV) that allow for a more comprehensive assessment of the quality and contribution of research.
3. Sustainable funding and effective infrastructure
- Ensure long-term funding for infrastructure—repositories, support services, and training—through a combination of public funds, institutional co-financing, and, where appropriate, private sources.
- Prefer the use of existing European and community platforms over the creation of duplicate national solutions.
- Support federative models that allow for disciplinary flexibility and more efficient use of investments.
4. Legal framework, security, and sector-specific issues
- Update legislation (e.g., rules for sharing sensitive data, procedural frameworks) in line with European practice.
- Respect sector-specific issues and ethical limits and allow reasonable exceptions where necessary.
- Promote the sharing of experiences and examples of good practice across disciplines, institutions, and international partners.
5. Education, trust building, and continuous dialogue
- Increase education about open science at all levels—from students to institutional leadership.
- Promote a culture of trust, dialogue, and joint rule-setting.
- Build community groups that will truly live open science, not just declare it.
Outputs
Report and recommendations from the panel discussion (in Czech only): https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17710134
Photos (archive TC Prague)
Guarantor of the panel discussion’s professional program
Ing. Kristýna Zychová, Ph.D.
email: zychova@tc.cz
Department of Strategic Studies, TC Prague
Manager for Research, Development, and Innovation, author of analyses of the potential of Open Science and FAIR research data management in the Czech Republic
