The Hellenic Academic Libraries Link (HEAL-Link) has broken ground on ABACUS (Academic Bibliometrics & Assessment Computational Utility Service), a new national project aimed at developing Greece’s first unified research monitoring service for the academic community.

The three-year project will design, deliver, and operate a national data platform that provides a reliable, coherent view of scholarly research produced by Greek academic institutions. ABACUS is developed in collaboration with OpenAIRE and is designed from the outset to align with international standards and European research infrastructures.

From fragmented data to a shared reference point

For years, research assessment in Greece has relied on a mosaic of disconnected data sources, including publisher platforms, global bibliographic databases, institutional repositories, and aggregators. Each source captures only part of the research landscape, often with overlaps, inconsistencies, or missing links between publications, funding, and institutions.

This fragmentation has limited the ability of universities, policymakers, and researchers to validate research outputs, understand research performance at scale, or develop a coherent national picture. ABACUS was initiated to address this challenge by creating a shared, trusted reference point for Greek scholarly activity.

A national service built on open research information

ABACUS will be built on the OpenAIRE Graph, one of the world’s largest open scholarly knowledge graphs. The OpenAIRE Graph interlinks publications, datasets, software, researchers, institutions, funders, grants, citations, and usage evidence into a single, connected data foundation.

By leveraging this open European infrastructure, the ABACUS service will deliver:

• National- and institutional-level indicators supporting evidence-based analysis
• Contextual positioning of Greek R&I within the EU27, EU13, and the global realities
• Verified and authoritative institutional profiles built on trusted open data
• Analytics linking research outputs to projects and funding sources
• Interactive visualisations capturing the full research footprint of Greek universities

This approach ensures that ABACUS is interoperable by design, aligned with European Open Science standards, and compatible with the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC).

Supporting evidence-based research monitoring

Once operational, ABACUS will support all levels of the Greek research system:

• Policy and coordination bodies gain access to trusted, evidence-based statistics to support informed decision-making and transparency.
• Universities and research institutions can monitor research performance and Open Science adoption using validated indicators, comparisons, and visual insights.
• Researchers benefit from improved visibility of their work, better alignment with ORCID identifiers, and tools to correct and enrich their scholarly profiles.

By relying on open data and transparent methodologies, ABACUS strengthens confidence in research monitoring and encourages active engagement from the academic community.

From project launch to service operation

The ABACUS project has formally launched and will be implemented over three years.

• Year 1 focuses on service design and delivery, including requirements validation, data modelling, dashboard development, and the release of a pilot platform.
• Years 2 and 3 will concentrate on service operation, refinement, and sustainability, with continuous engagement of the Greek academic community to improve indicators, functionality, and usability.

A pilot version of the ABACUS service is expected by mid-2026, followed by a transition to a fully operational national service.

Looking ahead

ABACUS represents a strategic investment in building a sustainable, low-cost, and open national research monitoring capability for Greece. By combining national needs with European open infrastructures, the project lays the foundation for a service that can evolve with the research system and support informed decision-making over the long term.

“With ABACUS, HEAL-Link is establishing a long-needed national reference point for understanding Greek research in a coherent, transparent, and reliable way. The service brings together fragmented research information into a unified platform built on open standards and trusted European infrastructures. ABACUS aims to enable evidence-based research monitoring while respecting Open Science and responsible assessment principles. This initiative empowers universities, policymakers, and researchers with validated indicators and meaningful insights. ABACUS is a strategic investment in an open, sustainable, and nationally owned research monitoring capability for Greece.” Mavroeidis Angelakeris, HEAL-Link Chairman

“Through our close collaboration with HEAL-Link, Greek universities, and the wider academic community, ABACUS demonstrates how open and interoperable research infrastructures can advance the scientometrics domain in a concrete and responsible way. Built on the OpenAIRE Graph, ABACUS enables transparent, contextualised, and evidence-based analysis of scholarly activity, moving beyond narrow or opaque metrics. Importantly, it shows how countries can develop effective, high-quality research assessment capabilities at significantly lower cost, while retaining control over their data and methodologies. By putting COARA principles into practice, ABACUS offers a scalable model that we aim to pursue with other countries and organisations seeking sustainable, trustworthy approaches to research assessment” Natalia Manola, OpenAIRE CEO

Learn even more about ABACUS in this article.