On 15 January 2025, a large-scale online event took place (with approximately 500 participants) – the presentation of the 2nd OSCARS Open Call for Open Science projects, announced as part of the activities of the OSCARS (Open-Science Clusters’ Action for Research and Society) collaboration.

The collaboration includes leading European research infrastructures, grouped into thematic clusters by fields: Humanities and Social Sciences, Life Sciences, Environmental Sciences, Photon and Neutron Science, Astronomy, Nuclear and Particle Physics (https://science-clusters.eu/).

In total, 58 projects received funding in the first round of the call, selected from 264 proposals submitted by 607 organisations. The event featured six speakers, all leaders of winning projects, including Volodymyr Kotsiubynskyi, who presented the project “Advanced Materials Open Science Centre at the Precarpathian National University (PNU-OpenLab)”, implemented by a team from the Precarpathian National University (https://oscars-project.eu/projects/pnu-openlab-advanced-materials-open-science-centre-precarpathian-national-university).

The entry of the Ukrainian team into the Science Clusters, which are an integral part of the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC), is an important step towards the integration of Ukrainian scientists into the European research area. 

On 13 January 2025, the Advanced Materials Open Science Centre at the Precarpathian National University (PNU-OpenLab) was founded. The main goal of the Centre is to consolidate the research activities of Ukrainian scientists from universities in Western Ukraine and research institutes of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine in the field of obtaining, characterizing, and implementing advanced materials and nanomaterials according to the principles of Open Science.

The foundation of the Centre is part of the implementation of the project “Advanced Materials Open Science Centre at the Precarpathian National University” (Principal Investigator is Volodymyr Kotsiubynskyi), funded under HORIZON-INFRA-2023-EOSC-01-01 (2024-2026). The project outcomes will include the creation of a university repository for multidisciplinary open data, the organization of open access to the research infrastructure of the Department of Applied Physics and Materials Science, certification of the PNU-NanoLab, expanded cooperation with industrial enterprises, installation of an autonomous energy supply system at the university, and for the creation of a regional node of the CERIC-ERIC system. The main idea behind PNU-OpenLab is to facilitate the integration of Ukrainian scientists into the European research space.

https://oscars-project.eu/projects/pnu-openlab-advanced-materials-open-science-centre-precarpathian-national-university  

May 2025 be the year of Victory, peace, and prosperity for each of us and the whole of Ukraine.

Let the New Year bring warmth to your homes, joy to your hearts, and inspiration for new achievements.

The year now ending has shown that our strength lies in unity, courage, and love for our homeland. We continue to fight for the future, believing in ourselves and in the Armed Forces of Ukraine!

The OSCARS project team has summarized the initial outcomes of task implementation. One of the key initial stages was the development of a documentary foundation for establishing PNU-OpenLab as part of the research ecosystem of Vasyl Stefanyk Precarpathian National University. Regulatory documentation has been developed to define the internal structure of the Center, as well as the rights and responsibilities of its employees.

An analysis of the current state of open science practices within scientific clusters has begun, by the National Plan for the Development of Open Science approved by the Government of Ukraine. Particular attention is given to the challenges in materials science and advanced materials.

In this festive season, we celebrate the power of unity, the light of hope, and the spirit of resilience. May the warmth of Christmas fill your hearts with joy, and may victory and peace lead us all into the New Year.

Thank you to the Armed Forces of Ukraine for a new Christmas. Together we will win.

With gratitude and hope,
the team of the PNU-Openlab

Greetings on the World Science Day for Peace and Development!

Today, on 24 October 2024, the kick-off meeting of the heads of EDUC-WIDE research infrastructures working in the field of Nanotechnology took place. Representatives from the University of Southern Norway, Masaryk University (Czech Republic), University of Rennes (France), Jaime I University of Castellón (Spain), and the University of Potsdam (Germany) were present. Vasyl Stefanyk Precarpathian National University was represented by Volodymyr Kotsiubynskyi (Head of the “Nanotechnology Lab for Materials Science, Energy and Medicine” (PNU-NanoLab), Tetiana Tatarchuk (Head of the Centre for Materials Science and Nanotechnologies ), and Lyubomyr Nykyruy (Head of the Laboratory of Semiconductor Materials for Energy). The meeting resulted in the development of the idea of a joint application for participation in the Knowledge Exchange Scheme call, announced as part of the EDUC-WIDE alliance activities. The expected outcomes of cooperation in this area include online seminars, visits to partner universities, the exchange of experience and methods in the field of advanced materials science, as well as the optimization of scientific management practices.

On the 21st of October, the Head of the Advanced Materials Open Science Centre at the Precarpathian National University (PNU-OpenLab) presented it as an integral part of the research ecosystem of Precarpathian National University to the deputy deans for research and heads of university departments during a meeting of the Scientific and Technical Council. Volodymyr Kotsiubynskyi emphasised its role in enhancing scientific and technical cooperation, promoting openness and accessibility of shared facilities, and highlighted PNU-OpenLab’s collaboration with other innovative university structures, particularly PNU-NanoLab and PNU-FabLab. This ecosystem aims to increase the openness and accessibility of shared infrastructure facilities for scientists, students, and industrial partners, fostering the exchange of ideas and the development of innovative projects within the OSCARS project.

On October 1, 2024, Vasyl Stefanyk Precarpathian National University launched the project “Center for Open Science in Modern Materials Science at Precarpathian National University” (PNU-OpenLab) within the framework of the European Commission grant HORIZON-INFRA-2023-EOSC-01-01 – Build on the science cluster approach to ensure the uptake of EOSC by research infrastructures and research communities within the initiative of the 1st Open Call for Projects and Services in the field of Open Science OSCARS.

Today, an orientation workshop was held with the project team:

Volodymyr Kotsiubynskyi, Head of the Department of Materials Science and New Technologies at Vasyl Stefanyk Precarpathian National University,

Valentyna Yakubiv, Professor of the Department of Management and Business Administration at Vasyl Stefanyk Precarpathian National University,

Volodymyra Boichuk, Professor of the Department of Materials Science and New Technologies at Vasyl Stefanyk Precarpathian National University,

Iryna Hryhoruk, Associate Professor of the Department of Management and Business Administration at Vasyl Stefanyk Precarpathian National University,

Liliya Turovska, Associate Professor of the Department of Management and Business Administration of Vasyl Stefanyk Precarpathian National University.

The PNU-OpenLab project, hosted at Vasyl Stefanyk Precarpathian National University (PNU), aims to serve as a central hub for advanced research on materials for energy and life sciences. It seeks to expand access to cutting-edge research tools for Ukrainian scientists, with the possibility of future integration into the Central European Research Infrastructure Consortium (CERIC-ERIC). PNU-OpenLab includes existing facilities, such as PNU-NanoLab, which focuses on nanotechnology, and PNU-FabLab, a space designed to foster practical learning and prototyping. Together, these labs aim to enhance interdisciplinary collaboration and promote open access to advanced technology, tools, and expertise.