Reflections on INORMS 2025: Advancing Open Science Through Responsible Research Assessment

At the INORMS Congress 2025 in Madrid, OpenAIRE had the opportunity to further promote open and federated infrastructures as essential tools for transparent, inclusive, and sustainable research assessment. With over 2,200 participants, the event provided a platform for OpenAIRE to showcase its services portfolio and the latest projects (SciLake and GraspOS) and policy work (CoARA OI4RRA), engaging with the global research management community.

The sessions and poster presentations provided visibility to OpenAIRE's infrastructure and its suite of policy-aligned services and capacity-building initiatives. The booth offered a direct engagement space, where stakeholders could explore the OpenAIRE Service Catalogues, ask information about MONITOR, CONNECT, Graph, and ARGOS, and discuss opportunities to join OpenAIRE, whether via memberships, subscriptions, or collaborations.

For OpenAIRE, engaging with INORMS members was also a strategic opportunity to expand Open Science practices and knowledge among research managers and administrators; we introduced key concepts such as the OpenAIRE Graph as a research knowledge graph and SciLake as a scientific data lake, emphasizing their value not only in thematic aggregation of scientific content, but also as a basis for APIs supporting bibliometric and scientometric analyses. Based on evidence and real-world use cases, we gathered feedback through the GraspOS poster by inviting participants to reflect on the type of information they collect on researchers, and what matters most to them in research assessment. In the session that Natalia Manola participated, the focus shifted to the role of infrastructures in enabling assessment practices aligned with CoARA principles, reinforcing the need for open, federated, and policy-responsive solutions. The event also functioned as a live contact point for University Alliances, grant writers, and research support staff, interested in integrating Open Science in proposals and providing information on training opportunities, legal consultancy, and IPR-related issues in the context of open research.

Key Contributions

• Presentations & Posters

Giulia Malaguarnera, OpenAIRE's Outreach & Engagement Manager, presented on the SciLake project, highlighting the development of community-driven scientific knowledge graphs. She also showcased a poster on GraspOS, focusing on holistic researcher profiles that integrate both qualitative and quantitative metrics.

• Roundtable Discussions

Natalia Manola, OpenAIRE CEO, participated in a roundtable on sustainable and community-governed open infrastructures for responsible research assessment, emphasizing the importance of transparency and inclusivity in research evaluation practices.

The INORMS 2025 Congress offered a timely and high-impact platform to advance the global conversation on research assessment reform, one of the most critical enablers of Open Science. OpenAIRE's contributions directly addressed several of the congress themes, including governance, sustainability, equity, ethics, and the responsible use of AI. By showcasing tools like the OpenAIRE Graph and ARGOS, and infrastructures like GraspOS and SciLake, we highlighted how Open Science principles can be operationalised through concrete, scalable services and interoperable infrastructures. Importantly, we emphasized the role of open metadata, machine-readable outputs, and transparent workflows in building trustworthy, inclusive evaluation practices. The OpenAIRE Graph was presented not only as a metadata aggregation platform, but as a powerful resource for bibliometrics, scientometrics, and strategic policy intelligence, aligned with global efforts toward responsible metrics and SDG impact tracking.

Impact & Insights

Participating in INORMS 2025 confirmed how essential it is to move from abstract advocacy to practical implementation when it comes to Open Science and research assessment. The strong interest in OpenAIRE tools and services, as well as the quality of the interactions, at the booth and during the session, made it clear that there's a real demand for infrastructures and guidance that are actionable, policy-aligned, and community-driven. It was particularly rewarding to see how the concepts of knowledge graphs, researcher profiles, and narrative CVs resonated with research managers and support staff. More than visibility, what was gained was alignment: INORMS allowed us to listen, validate, and refine our role as enablers in this transition toward fairer, more transparent and open research systems.

"INORMS 2025 offered a vital platform to engage with University Alliances and Research Performing Organisations, reinforcing the urgent need for sustained investment in training, knowledge exchange, and collaborative innovation. It was also a meaningful opportunity to reconnect with longstanding partners from DORA, ORCID, and Crossref, further strengthening the networks driving forward a more open and responsible research ecosystem."
Giulia Malaguarnera, OpenAIRE Outreach & Engagement Manager

Looking Ahead

The insights gained from INORMS 2025 will contribute to OpenAIRE's ongoing efforts to develop and promote open infrastructures that align with global Open Science policies. By fostering community engagement and providing practical tools, OpenAIRE continues to support the transition toward more equitable and transparent research systems.

For more information on OpenAIRE's initiatives and services, visit OpenAIRE's website.