On 25 June 2025, an informational webinar was held to present the functionality of DataSet, the newly launched institutional repository of Vasyl Stefanyk Precarpathian National University (https://pnu.edu.ua/). The repository serves as a digital platform for storing and disseminating scientific outputs produced by the university’s researchers and students.

The webinar was led by Volodymyr Kotsiubynskyi, Head of the Department of Applied Physics and Materials Science and Coordinator of the Advanced Materials Open Science Centre, established under the HORIZON-INFRA-2023-EOSC-01-01 programme (2024–2026).

Participants were introduced to: the role of institutional repositories in the modern academic ecosystem; step-by-step guidance on user registration and research profile creation; procedures for assigning DOIs and content licensing; implementation of Open Science policies and adherence to FAIR principles.

Practical demonstrations were provided using the DataSet platform (https://dataset.pnu.edu.ua), showcasing real-use cases and best practices.

The webinar targeted academic staff, postgraduate students, research project managers, faculty administrators, and all those interested in ensuring open access to research results.

The event also highlighted the strategic significance of the university’s involvement in the OSCARS initiative (Open Science Clusters’ Action for Research and Society – https://oscars-project.eu/about-oscars). Participation in OSCARS supports institutional integration into the European Research Area, promotes the adoption of FAIR and EOSC-aligned practices, and strengthens infrastructure for research data management. This contributes to greater transparency, accessibility, and interoperability of scientific knowledge produced by Ukrainian researchers.

As part of the Open Government Week 2025, an online discussion titled “Open Data in the Age of AI: From Science to Public Governance” was held. The event was organised by the Open4UA project with the support of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine and the Erasmus+ programme, and featured the participation of the team from the Advanced Materials Open Science Centre at the Precarpathian National University.

The event brought together over 40 participants – representatives of the academic community, government bodies, civil society organisations, and the IT sector – to discuss the potential of open data in the context of digital transformation and the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI).

The discussion focused on key concepts:

-️ Open data as public information in a machine-readable format, available without restrictions and enabling the creation of new services;

️- Open science, based on the principles of transparency, accessibility, and reproducibility of research;

️ -Open government, which promotes accountability, transparency, and evidence-based decision-making;

-️ FAIR data, which complies with international standards – Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable – and is especially valuable for training AI models.

Special attention was paid to the Ukrainian context:

– Since 2015, the open data sector in Ukraine has been actively developing, with the launch of the national portal gov.ua, now containing over 38,000 datasets;

– Ukraine ranks 3rd among European countries in terms of open data policy maturity, despite the challenges posed by the full-scale war;

– Over 13.9 million Ukrainians use open data-based services monthly (e.g. Open Databot, YouControl, Easyway);

– In the scientific domain, data openness is still less developed but holds significant potential for advancing AI.

During the event, it was emphasised that open scientific data could become a driving force for developing Ukrainian-language and analytical AI models, particularly in light of the demand for Ukrainian-language data. Sources such as the State Register of Court Decisions, scientific research archives, and data from university repositories could serve as a foundation for future breakthroughs in AI.

Speakers also highlighted the importance of balancing openness with national security during wartime, the need to improve legislation on access to information, and the role of data stewards within government institutions and communities. At the same time, thanks to the growth of open data and cross-sector collaboration, Ukraine has the opportunity to strengthen its position in scientific research, digital technologies, and public governance.

The team of the project Advanced Materials Open Science Centre at the Precarpathian National University (PNU- OpenLab) participated in the international workshop ‘Open Science and FAIR: Global strategies for accessibility, interoperability, and information security’, which was dedicated to implementing global strategies in open science to ensure data accessibility, interoperability, and information security.

The project leader, Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Professor Volodymyr Kotsiubynskyi, was among the keynote speakers and delivered a presentation on the role of open science in advancing materials research and the importance of the FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) for effective data storage, reuse, and scientific collaboration.

In his talk, Professor Kotsiubynskyi emphasized practical steps toward implementing open science policies in Ukrainian academic institutions, including the establishment of institutional repositories, integration of international metadata standards, and interaction with global infrastructures such as DataCite, CrossRef, and InvenioRDM. He also presented the institutional repository developed at Vasyl Stefanyk Precarpathian National University — dataset.pnu.edu.ua.

The participation of the project team in this workshop confirms the active integration of the Ukrainian research community into international processes of digital transformation in science, as well as the promotion of an innovative culture of open knowledge exchange.

On May 9, 2025, an online meeting was held, organized by the team of the State Scientific and Technical Library of Ukraine (Director Alla Zharinova and Deputy Director for Research and International Cooperation Tetiana Yaroshenko, https://dntb.gov.ua), with open data and repository infrastructure expert Viacheslav Tykhonov (https://dataverse.nl). Volodymyr Kotsyubynskyi, Head of PNU-OpenLab (https://open-lab.pnu.edu.ua/), took part in the meeting.

The discussion focused on strategic approaches to developing a national system of scientific repositories aligned with the FAIR principles. Special attention was given to the role of controlled vocabularies such as Finto, BioPortal, and OntoPortal, which ensure data interoperability in scientific infrastructures.

The capabilities of the Dataverse platform were presented, highlighting its implementation in the Netherlands for the academic sector and discussing its potential as a technical and conceptual foundation for building a Ukrainian repository system.

On April 30, 2025, the Ivano-Frankivsk National Medical University hosted the 4th Scientific and Practical Conference with international participation, titled “Advancing Best Practices in PhD Training,” dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the university’s founding.

The conference focused on pressing issues related to doctoral training under the academic and research program 222 “Medicine,” including the openness and relevance of scientific profiles, challenges in selecting dissertation topics, the integration of artificial intelligence into the educational process and research, the development of open science, and involvement in grant-based activities.

Special attention was given to aligning educational processes with the standards of the European Higher Education Area and to the development of interdisciplinary competencies among doctoral candidates. IFNMU is actively implementing effective mentorship models aimed at supporting the professional development of early-career researchers.

Also during the conference, Volodymyr Kotsiubynskyi, Head of the Department of Applied Physics and Materials Science at PNU, presented current practices for implementing open science principles in the university’s research activities. In his presentation, he outlined key achievements of the Advanced Materials Open Science Centre (PNU-OpenLab), established as part of the HORIZON-INFRA-2023-EOSC-01-01 project (2024–2026).

The focus was on managing open research data, in particular, the creation of the institutional repository DataSet (https://dataset.pnu.edu.ua/), which operates on the InvenioRDM platform. The presentation demonstrated how the synergy of open technologies, advanced digital infrastructure, and the university’s strategic vision contributes to advancing open science at both the local and national levels.

On April 23, 2025, Professors Volodymyr Kotsiubynskyi and Volodymyra Boichuk, participants in the project “The Advanced Materials Open Science Centre,” took part in the Forum of Young Scientists’ Councils of Higher Education Institutions in the Ivano-Frankivsk Region, titled “Scientific Trends: The Formula for a Young Researcher’s Success.”

The event, hosted by Vasyl Stefanyk Carpathian National University, brought together young scholars and academic leaders to explore current challenges and opportunities in the development of science in Ukraine. Discussions focused on the evolving role of early-career researchers in societal transformation, models for science-industry collaboration, and prospects for the commercialization of research outcomes.

Particular attention was devoted to the advancement of open science practices in Ukraine. As a featured speaker in the panel discussion “Open Science: A New Research Culture,” Professor Volodymyr Kotsiubynskyi presented the implementation of open science principles at Vasyl Stefanyk Carpathian National University. He highlighted key achievements from the first six months of activity at the Open Science Center OpenLab (https://open-lab.pnu.edu.ua/), established within the framework of the project, funded under the HORIZON-INFRA-2023-EOSC-01-01 programme (2024–2026).

His presentation emphasized the structured approach to open research data management, including the development of the institutional repository DataSet (https://dataset.pnu.edu.ua/), built using the InvenioRDM platform. The session illustrated the productive synergy between open technologies, digital research infrastructure, and the university’s strategic commitment to fostering open science at both regional and national levels.

Once again, Easter comes to us in difficult times — times of trials, struggle, and great hope.
Today, Ukraine’s destiny is intertwined with pain and loss, yet also with unbreakable spirit, sincere faith in victory, and a deep longing for peace, justice, and light.

May the Glorious Resurrection of Christ become for each of us a symbol of renewal, strength, and faith.

May the Lord protect our defenders, inspire each of us to do good, and may the dawn of peace and justice rise over Ukraine as soon as possible.

The Initial Stage of the project “Advanced Materials Open Science Centre at the Precarpathian National University” (led by Volodymyr Kotsiubynskyi) has been completed. The project is funded under HORIZON-INFRA-2023-EOSC-01-01 (2024–2026). The main outcomes include the establishment of PNU-OpenLab (https://open-lab.pnu.edu.ua/) as part of PNU’s research ecosystem, as well as the creation of the PNU-DataSet repository (https://dataset.pnu.edu.ua/), serving as a platform for accessing open data generated at Vasyl Stefanyk Precarpathian National University. Notably, the repository has a multidisciplinary nature and will be accessible not only to the university’s staff.

As of today, the technical work related to testing the software that will integrate the repository into the CrossRef system (https://www.crossref.org/) — the DOI provider for the repository’s resources — is nearing completion. During the Initial Stage, the project team conducted an analysis of the current state of open science practices within the OSCARS scientific cluster community, in accordance with Ukraine’s National Open Science Plan, adopted by the Ukrainian government (https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/892-2022-%D1%80#Text). At the national level, the team is actively involved in adapting EU Open Science standards (https://openscience.eu/) to scientific and educational practices in Ukraine. Notably, they are contributing to the development of the professional standard “Research Data Management Specialist” in alignment with the European Skills, Competences, Qualifications and Occupations framework (https://esco.ec.europa.eu/uk).

Another task successfully completed by the team during the project’s Initial Stage was the development and adaptation of an open access procedure for scientific facilities at PNU-NanoLab for Ukrainian researchers (https://nano-lab.pnu.edu.ua/en/tsentr-kolektyvnoho-korystuvannia-nau/). Testing has also begun on the implementation of data access protocols in accordance with EOSC requirements.

Much has been accomplished, but this is only the preparation for the Main Stage of the project, which will begin in April 2025.

On March 3-4, the OSCARS meeting took place in an F2F (face-to-face) format to ensure the most effective interaction among all participants. The project “Advanced Materials Open Science Centre at the Precarpathian National University” was represented at the event by professor Volodymyra Boychuk.

The event began with a brief overview of the results from the first year of activities within the OSCARS work packages (WP 1-4) and the next steps planned for 2025.

A total of 54 projects, funded as a result of the first OSCARS call, were presented in a flash-talk format. The distribution of projects into sessions was based on their main objectives and covered the following topics: repositories, data and data types, software, artificial intelligence and tools, promotion of open science, and community building beyond clusters.

The primary focus of the event was on interactive discussions in the World Café format. Participants worked on finding joint solutions to key challenges, and the outcomes of the discussions were summarized in concise reports. Additionally, members of the EOSC EU Node project shared their results and invited all attendees to collaborate.

The meeting became a significant milestone in the development of OSCARS, establishing a platform for effective cooperation, experience exchange, and joint decision-making to further advance Open Science.

On this special day, let’s celebrate the brilliance, resilience, and achievements of women and girls in science.

Throughout history, women have made groundbreaking discoveriesтand paved the way for future generations. Today, we honor their contributions and encourage young minds to dream big, stay curious, and never stop questioning the world around them.