Azerbaijan Technical University Rector Announces the Creation of University’s First Open Science Office.

In December, the Rector of the Azerbaijan Technical University, Prof. Dr Vilayat Valiyev officially announced the establishment of the University's Open Science Office! It should also be noted that the support provided by the Vice-Rector for Science and Innovation, Prof. Dr Subhan Namazov, to the Library Center in this area is undeniable. The OS Office will function within the framework of the university's Library Information Center and enjoy the complete support of the Rector's office. It is worth noting that this will be the first initiative among the higher education institutions of Azerbaijan and according to the Rector himself "will play a major role in developing Open Science activities at the country level in the future".

The OS Office will be undertaking activities in support of the promotion of Open Science, thus supplementing the work that is already being done by the Azerbaijani NOADs, who will also be responsible for the activations overview and execution. The Office intends to base its activities on the OpenAIRE policies and procedures and will be focusing on activities across the country starting in 2025.

The goal is for the OS Office to work in concert with the AzTU academic staff, as well as with representatives and scholars from other higher education institutions in Azerbaijan, all in accordance with the 2025 action plan that has been laid out by the local NOADs. The office will serve as an OA/ OS "hub" of sorts, providing support in the preparation of policies on Open Science, Open Access, Institutional Repositories, etc based on OpenAIRE policy guidelines, while at the same time educating and informing the community about OA resources and their use. This includes:

• Providing consultations on OS, OA, repositories, and other related topics;
• Organizing online and on-site trainings, webinars, and seminars in relevant fields;
• Forming of the OS Office page on the Library website;
• Sharing experiences and expertise on local or institutional Research Data Management (RDM) activities;
• Providing local RDM training;
• Raising awareness about Open Tools, OA repositories, OA databases, and other relevant resources.

The Azerbaijani NOADs will mainly focus on organizing informative meetings about OS, OA initiatives and online consultations with interested parties for the duration of the Office's first year. The main goal of establishing the OS office is to support the openness of scientific results and the tools used to generate them, which allows for the sharing of science in general and new scientific achievements, as is the founding principle of Open Science.

Written by Khayala Hajiyeva