Research data are the foundation of modern science and include any information created or collected during scholarly work: texts, tables, images, software code, audio and video materials, survey results, or laboratory research findings. Proper research data management promotes transparency, reproducibility, and reliability of scientific results, helps prevent information loss, and enhances a researcher’s academic reputation. At the same time, data sharing should follow the principle “as open as possible”. This also facilitates the reuse of research results.

Open Access is an integral part of the Open Science concept. According to Neuschäfer (2015), Open Science encompasses strategies and procedures that ensure openness, transparency, and reusability of all components of the scientific process. This means that not only scientific publications, but also research data (through open access and research data management), research software, and educational materials (through Open Educational Resources, OER) should be freely accessible under the Open Access model.