National Open Access Monitor: Advancing Open Research Culture in Ireland 

Authors:  Aaron Binchy; Ioanna Grypari; Leonidas Pispiringas  

Organisations:  IReL; OpenAIRE

Initiative Description:  
As the National Action Plan for Open Research progresses, it is imperative to determine the current state of Οpen Αccess in Ireland and to monitor how this develops as stakeholder investments transition Irish research towards open research. The National Open Access Monitor (the Monitor) is a comprehensive, fully transparent system of dashboards designed to track and support this transition. It provides insights into OA adoption across Ireland’s research ecosystem. This initiative aligns with Impact 2030’s Open Research Culture goals, embedding good research practices to drive research excellence and ensuring accountability through open, well-documented, and regularly updated data. Project data is managed and shared in compliance with the FAIR principles to ensure accessibility, interoperability, and reproducibility.  

Rationale for Initiative:  
The Monitor was developed with acknowledgement of the need for a comprehensive and longitudinal monitoring system. The initiative fosters a culture of transparency, allowing organisations to assess their data accuracy, align with OA policies, and refine their metadata to improve discoverability. 

Initiative Aims & Purpose:  
An evidence-based framework for tracking and improving Open Research practices in Ireland enables:  
○   National, institutional, funder, repository, and researcher dashboards providing 
     comparative insights
○   Exposure of metadata quality  
○   Alignment with research integrity  
○   Transparency and accountability through 100% public access  
○   Promotion of FAIR principles

Methods/Activities: 
The Monitor is powered by the OpenAIRE Graph  
The Monitor includes:  
○    Public dashboards for all key actors (national, institutional, funder, repository, 
      and researcher)
○   Data quality functionalities (ORCID syncing, DOI uploads, and metadata 
     validation)
○   Links publications to projects, organizations, and research initiatives
○   Full public visibility.  

Results:  
Institutions and funders can track compliance, improve metadata accuracy, and refine research policies. The Monitor provides transparency and drives improvements in research integrity and best practices.  
 

Conclusions: 
The Monitor advances Ireland’s Open Research Culture in line with Impact 2030 goals enabling institutions and researchers to assess, refine, and enhance their Open Science contributions. It will further strengthen research integrity, promote responsible research assessment, and support data-driven policy decisions.