An agreement on cooperation between heigher education institutions in Szczecin was signed on 11 September 2025.This cooperation is focused on the promotion, development, and support of the Open Science movement, which aims to conduct transparent scientific activity and communicate research results in a manner accessible to all.
Open access to scientific publications means sharing research results generated by public funds without financial, technological, or legal barriers. This allows not only scientists and students to benefit from them, but also society as a whole. Open access allows research results to reach a wide audience, increasing not only the citation rate and recognition of authors, but also has an impact, for example, on science and business, as well as on government and administrative decisions.
The agreement was signed by four heigher education institutions in Szczecin:
- The University of Szczecin was represented by prof. dr hab. Andrzej Skrendo, Vice-Rector for Research;
- The Maritime University of Technology in Szczecin was represented by dr inż. Izabela Bodus-Olkowska, Vice-Rector for Education and Development;
- The Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin was represented by prof. dr hab. n. med. Jerzy Samochowiec, Vice-Rector for Research;
- The West Pomeranian University of Technology in Szczecin was represented by prof. dr hab. inż. Karol Fijałkowski, Vice-Rector for Research and International Cooperation.
Open Science is always a problem, because I believe it’s a beautiful idea that has unfortunately been largely corrupted. In practice, it increasingly turns out that open access is an expression of the policies of a few international corporations seeking to increase their profits, while we are being demanded to pay ever more for making our publications available. Meanwhile, we know that Open Science was meant to be something completely different – it was meant to fulfill a crucial role and serve society so that our research results are accessible, contributing to economic development and the modernization of our country. This idea is beautiful, and we all believe in it. We would like to implement it, overcoming all these bureaucratic and commercial barriers. Perhaps the changes will ease the pressure to publish a little, and we will be able to focus on science, not on racing for points – said prof. Andrzej Skrendo, Vice-Rector for Research at the University of Szczecin, before signing the agreement.
I am very pleased that we are part of this initiative, that we are participating in it, and we declare with commitment that we will continue to support open access, open research data, and open science – both at our university level and among the academic community of Szczecin – said dr inż. Izabela Bodus-Olkowska, Vice-Rector for Education and Development at the Maritime University of Technology in Szczecin.
Thank you for this initiative, which is the culmination of what has already happened, because the cooperation already existed. This is giving it a formal form. There is power and strength in unity, and in this strength lies the future. I am very pleased that such unity and openness are emerging in Szczecin, emphasized prof. Jerzy Samochowiec, Vice-Rector for Research at the Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin. He noted that if each individual demonstrates their potential, it will never be as credible as when all universities work together.
This is another initiative demonstrating that we can work together as leading universities in the region. I think it’s important that we talk about Open Science. We must be prepared for the consequences – on the one hand, to encourage it as much as possible, and on the other, to understand Open Science properly – not only through the lens of Open Access, journals, and funding, but also through the lens of things like free repositories. If we publish, it’s to present our data as widely as possible, free of charge, said prof. Karol Fijałkowski, Vice-Rector for Research and International Cooperation at the West Pomeranian University of Technology in Szczecin.
The Rector’s Representative for Open Access to Scientific Publications and Research Data at the University of Szczecin, Prof. Anna Cedro, also spoke. I would like to thank the Rector’s Office and the library directors for their support of the Open Science concept. We collaborate better knowing that we have strong theses, and when we come with a problem or request, we will come up with a positive solution. Hundreds of emails and more than a dozen meetings have already passed, and today’s agreement will open up a new path for us to, for example, obtain joint funding,emphasized prof. Anna Cedro.
The goals of the signed agreement include:
- mutual exchange of information and joint promotion of Open Science initiatives,
- implementation of projects and organization of scientific events,
- support for financing initiatives related to the Open Science movement,
- joint submissions to public authorities on regulatory matters related to the Open Science movement.
