University of Zurich Signs the Barcelona Declaration on Open Research Information
In August 2025, the University of Zurich (UZH) signed the Barcelona Declaration on Open Research Information.
Crafted by more than 25 research information experts and first published in April 2024, the Barcelona Declaration seeks to ensure that scholarly metadata and other research-related information are openly accessible via open scholarly infrastructures.
UZH is the first university in Switzerland to sign the declaration, joining two other Swiss organisations, namely CERN and the Swiss Reproducibility Network. By signing, UZH aligns itself internationally with other leading universities and research organizations and signals its support for open, transparent, and accountable practices in research.
Why Open Research Information?
The Barcelona Declaration addresses the challenges of closed, proprietary research information systems, which often restrict access and limit transparency. Research information—such as metadata on publications, on research data, software, funding, and on institutions—plays a crucial role in how research is assessed, funded, and used. When this information is locked behind commercial platforms, it reduces accountability, excludes certain regions and languages, and can lead to biased or uninformed decision-making.
By contrast, the Barcelona Declaration aims to make research-related information accessible to all through open scholarly infrastructures. Open research information supports responsible and verifiable research assessment, improves transparency in decision-making, and helps ensure more equitable and inclusive policies.
The Four Committments
As a signatory, UZH endorses the following core commitments:
- Make openness the default for the research information we use and produce.
- Collaborate with services and systems that support open research information.
- Support the sustainability of infrastructures for open research information.
- Promote collective action to accelerate the transition to open research information.
These commitments complement the objectives of the International Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA), whose Agreement on Reforming Research Assessment UZH has signed as well. Only in June 2025, the UZH Executive Board approved the UZH CoARA Action Plan, which sets out concrete steps to advance responsible research assessment and aims to promote internal exchange and mutual learning at our university.