In today’s scientific environment, the concept of Open Science is gaining increasing importance. It ensures free access to research results, promotes transparency in scientific processes, and creates conditions for faster knowledge exchange. For Ukraine, which seeks active integration into the European research area while facing the complex challenges of war, the openness of science holds strategic importance. It is not only a way to accelerate scientific progress but also a tool to protect academic autonomy, strengthen trust in research, and engage the international community in cooperation.

One of the key instruments for implementing Open Science is institutional repositories — digital platforms for storing, disseminating, and archiving scientific research results. Repositories provide long-term access to content, foster academic exchange, enable the creation of digital researcher profiles, and serve as open archives. In this context, the OpenLab Open Science Center (https://open-lab.pnu.edu.ua/), established at Vasyl Stefanyk Сarpathian National University within the framework of a HORIZON-INFRA-2023-EOSC-01-01 (2024-2026) project, plays a significant role. Its mission is to develop digital scientific infrastructure and implement the principles of Open Science in the university’s educational and research ecosystem.

One of the core directions of OpenLab’s work is the creation of the institutional repository DataSet (https://dataset.pnu.edu.ua/), which operates on the InvenioRDM platform. Developed by CERN, InvenioRDM is a powerful tool for managing scientific content. Its main advantages include flexibility, modularity, scalability, support for open metadata standards, and multifunctionality, allowing work with publications, datasets, images, videos, and other digital objects. InvenioRDM is also integrated with international identification systems such as ORCID, making it a universal solution for modern repositories.

Although the OpenLab project was initially focused on supporting materials science research, the DataSet repository has been developed as a multidisciplinary platform designed to meet the needs of all researchers, graduate students, and students of Vasyl Stefanyk Сarpathian National University. This aligns with the core principles of Open Science, which aim to encompass all disciplines and ensure access to knowledge for all interested parties.

An essential component of modern scientific communication is the assignment of a DOI (Digital Object Identifier) — a unique digital identifier that ensures a permanent link to a scholarly object. DOI simplifies discovery, enables proper citation, increases the visibility of scientific content, and facilitates integration into global indexing systems. DOIs are assigned via specialized providers, primarily DataCite (https://datacite.org/) and CrossRef (https://www.crossref.org/), which are the most widely used worldwide.

While InvenioRDM is natively integrated with DataCite, most universities in Ukraine — including Vasyl Stefanyk Сarpathian National University — are members of the CrossRef community, allowing them to assign DOIs to their scholarly materials independently. This created a need for a technical solution to bridge metadata from InvenioRDM with the requirements of CrossRef.

To address this, OpenLab developed software that automatically generates an XML file according to CrossRef’s technical requirements based on metadata retrieved from InvenioRDM in JSON format (https://github.com/Advanced-Materials-Open-Science-Centre ). This software enables seamless transfer of information from the repository to CrossRef and allows DOI assignment for any digital object.

The developed solution will be distributed under the MIT License (https://opensource.org/license/mit) and made openly available for other universities, institutions, and research groups using InvenioRDM and intending to work with CrossRef.

Combining the capabilities of InvenioRDM as a modern repository platform with CrossRef as a DOI provider is another essential step toward implementing the principles of Open Science in Ukraine. It also aligns with international best practices and strengthens the position of Ukrainian science within the global academic community.

This approach demonstrates effective synergy between open technologies, digital infrastructures, and the university’s strategic vision for advancing Open Science at both the local and national levels.