The UC is part of the Executive Assembly of OPERAS: Open Scholarly Communication in the European Research Area for Social Sciences and Humanities.
As a member of the OPERAS Executive Assembly, the University of Coimbra plays a leading role as OPERAS' Portuguese national node representative, OPERAS-PT. The OPERAS national nodes are not only representative of the objectives and pillars of the infrastructure, but also reflect, for the central hub (the central organising team based in Brussels), the backgrounds, needs and trends of a diversity of communities that include not only researchers, but also librarians, editors, publishers and others.
The national nodes act as key points of connection with the local communities, acting as structural mediators within the various infrastructures and organisations supported by the European Commission. These nodes ensure that local needs and perspectives are integrated into wider European initiatives, thus facilitating the internationalisation of research without losing the diverse cultures, languages and traditions of academic practices.
The Portuguese National Node, OPERAS-PT, coordinated by the University of Coimbra, has been steadily expanding its presence within the national academic landscape. Although not yet formally funded, the node has demonstrated strong institutional commitment and strategic planning toward consolidating its structure, engaging local stakeholders, and contributing to OPERAS at a European level. In terms of funding and capacity building, the Portuguese node has benefited from Coimbra's participation in Horizon Europe projects such as TRIPLE, OPERAS-P, PALOMERA, CRAFT-OA, ATRIUM, LUMEN. Efforts are currently being made to secure consistent national funding to fully support the implementation of the node and the expansion of its activities, particularly through the integration of OPERAS-PT into the National Roadmap for Research Infrastructures.
OPERAS-PT has already laid important groundwork through a variety of activities:
- Open Science Communities Coimbra (May 2024): A face-to-face event at the University of Coimbra gathering researchers, librarians, and educators.
- Presentation of OPERAS services (September 2024): Online meeting with OPERAS-PT’s core group, focusing on the OPERAS service catalogue and platform capabilities.
- Presentations at external events on the OPERAS service catalogue since 2021;
- Dissemination of OPERAS services, such as the GoTriple platform and the VERA platform.
- Dissemination and development of the MONDAECUS platform.
These actions have helped create a base of understanding and interest in OPERAS tools and open scholarly communication within the Portuguese academic community.