Mapping open science policies and legislation in the field of open science in the Central and South-Eastern Europe is essential for understanding the current state of development of open science in the region. It is essential for understanding the differences between the different regimes between countries; Slovenia and Croatia are already EU members and follow EU strategies and policies regarding research governance, with open science playing an increasingly important role. Mapping open science across the region is key to identifying differences and gaps and consequently identifying opportunities for improvement, which could also lead to better regional cooperation. For countries in the region that are not yet EU members, this can be a key signal of what adjustments are needed in this area in order to more effectively progress towards deeper integration with the European Research Area.

Among the countries to be analyzed, Slovenia has already adopted some of the most advanced open science strategies in the EU, supported by legislative measures such as rights retention obligations and the secondary right to publication included in the Scientific Research and Innovation Act (ZZrID). These provisions strengthen the ability of researchers to retain key substantive copyrights in negotiations with publishers, allowing them to publish their research results in open access, thereby accelerating the practical implementation of open science principles. The Slovenian approach can serve as a valuable model for other countries in the region.

The project Mapping of Open Science is supported by the Knowledgerights 21 (KR21) and conducted by Open Data and Intellectual Property Institute with the cooperation of members of the KR21 Regional Alliance.