Maxi Kindling

*Authors: Malte Dreyer, Maike Neufend and Martina Ben*z

Open Access is developing in an area of tension between institutional
and funder policies, the economics of publishing and last but not least
the communication practices of research disciplines. In a comparison
across European countries, very dynamic and diverse approaches and
developments can be observed. Furthermore, this international and
comparative perspective helps us to assess the state of Open Access (OA)
in Germany. In this series of [Open4DE
project](http://www.open-access-berlin.de/projekte/open4de/index.html)
blog posts, we will summarize what we have learned in our in-depth
conversations with experts on developing and implementing nationwide
Open Access strategies.

We start our series with a report on Lithuania's Open Access landscape.

Probably the most important document for the development of Open Access
in Lithuania is the [Resolution Regarding the Approval of the Guidelines
on Open Access to Scientific Publications and
Data](https://www.lmt.lt/data/public/uploads/2016/09/eng_-atvira-prieiga-_-galutinis.pdf),
published in 2016. Because of its remarkable concreteness, the
resolution is, together with the French National Plan on Open Science,
described as „the most high level \[policy document\] of all" in the
[2019 SPARC Europe
Report](https://zenodo.org/record/4005612#.Yh9L4i9XYdU) (Sveinsdottir,
T. et al. 2020, S. 30). For example, the openness of data is made a
standard (§23), concrete responsibilities for the implementation and
monitoring of measures are named (§20, §29) and reporting obligations
are regulated (§26).

Additionally, [the Law on Higher Education and Research of the Republic
of
Lithuania](https://e-seimas.lrs.lt/portal/legalAct/lt/TAD/TAIS.343430/asr)
states that „in order to ensure the quality of research conducted with
funds from the state budget, to ensure transparency in the use of funds
from the state budget and to promote scientific progress, the results of
all research conducted in state higher education and research
institutions must be disclosed publicly \[...\]" (Article 51).

In an interview with Ieva Ceseviciute, we asked her about the state of
an Open Access policy in Lithuania and whether she could confirm our
optimistic view of things from a domestic perspective. Ieva Ceseviciute
is Head of Research Information Services at the Library at [Kaunas
University of Technology](https://en.ktu.edu/) and has been instrumental
in [OpenAIRE](https://www.openaire.eu/) since 2015. In addition, she is
involved in the [Research Data Alliance](https://www.rd-alliance.org/)
and is thus an expert on Open Science in Lithuania.

Ieva Ceseviciute sees a general problem in the fact that so far no
mechanisms have yet been developed to enforce the [Resolution Regarding
the Approval of the Guidelines on Open Access to Scientific Publications
and
Data](https://www.lmt.lt/data/public/uploads/2016/09/eng_-atvira-prieiga-_-galutinis.pdf)
which has been released by the Research Council of Lithuania in 2016. It
should also be noted that this resolution is the guideline of the most
important research funding body and not an overarching national policy.
However, there is agreement in Lithuania that this policy needs to be
revised and adapted to the more recent developments in the publication
system. Moreover, it is broadly recognised in Lithuania that a national
policy is important and desirable. This situation was a good opportunity
for putting a national policy process on the agenda.

Hence the Ministry of Education, Science and Sports has established a
task force whose purpose is to develop a national Open Access policy.
The group was formed in 2019, and started its work in 2020 with a series
of meetings, but was then interrupted by the pandemic and the recent
change of government in Lithuania. Currently, [The Guidelines on Open
Access to Scientific Publications and
Data](https://www.lmt.lt/data/public/uploads/2016/09/eng_-atvira-prieiga-_-galutinis.pdf)
are being revised by the Research Council of Lithuania. In support of
this discussion, a survey of the present state is seen as a mandatory
precondition for future strategy proposals. In particular, surveys have
been carried out among various stakeholders and the research offices of
relevant institutions in order to determine the development statuses and
needs.

#### What can we learn from Lithuania?

In Ieva Ceseviciute's view, the biggest obstacle on the way to a culture
of openness is the fact that OA has not been integrated into incentive
systems, which makes it unattractive to comply with Open Acess policies.
Researchers are not yet expected to publish OA in the national context;
changing this requires profound cultural change and new publishing
practices. So far, few researchers have understood that the standards of
Open Science and OA offer advantages to them. Although numerous
information events are organised, raising awareness on Open Access has
proven to be a challenge. A national policy can be an important
instrument here. "Change takes time -- cultural change takes time, it is
not possible without the instrument of policies" says Ieva Ceseviciute.

At the same time, it is important that OA is based on a strong mandate
in the ongoing national policy process. This requires a good balance
between incentives and sanctions. Among the drivers of OA in Lithuania,
Ieva Ceseviciute lists the support measures and legal frameworks of the
European Union. In Lithuania, researchers are often involved in European
research contexts that are particularly committed to the idea of
openness. This is one of the ways how an intrinsic interest in Open
Science is generated.

Further strong guidelines would certainly be helpful here. Top-down
guidelines can accelerate cultural change in the national community. In
this context, it is very important, says Ieva Ceseviciute, to identify
stakeholders and name responsibilities -- for every single step and
measure in the policy process: „If this is not part of your policy, your
policy won't work".

**References**

Dovidonyte, Rasa (2019). Implementation of Open Science in Lithuania.
*Nordic Perspectives on Open Science*, August.
<https://doi.org/10.7557/11.4828>

Sveinsdottir, Thordis, Proudman, Vanessa, & Davidson, Joy (2020). An
Analysis of Open Science Policies in Europe, v6.
<https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4005612>


<em>
 Authors: Malte Dreyer, Maike Neufend and Martina Ben
</em>
z  Open Access is developing in an area of tension between institutional and funder policies, the economics of publishing and last but not least the communication practices of research disciplines. In a comparison across European countries, very dynamic and diverse approaches and developments can be observed.

Messaggi di Rogue Scholar

Open4DE Spotlight on the Open Access Landscape in Lithuania