EUT+ and OpenAIRE – Advancing Open Science and Research Information and Collaboration

The European University of Technology Plus (EUT+) is a pioneering alliance of nine technological universities working to enhance research collaboration, transparency, and openness across European higher education. Faced with the challenge of building a collaborative platform for the alliance’s repositories with limited resources, EUT+ leveraged a strategic partnership with OpenAIRE to develop the EUT+ CONNECT Gateway—a customized, interoperable platform designed to unify research outputs and promote cross-institutional collaboration and Open Science practices. This paper presents a case study of how a university alliance, EUT+, pooled resources and expertise across institutions, enabling the rapid deployment of an open research infrastructure while overcoming financial and technical barriers. It highlights how OpenAIRE services support university alliances in fostering Open Science practices by ensuring interoperability among repositories and enabling research tracking through indicators on collaboration, open access, FAIR principles, and research impact. The discussion also addresses interoperability challenges encountered while integrating various institutional repositories into a unified platform. By examining EUT+’s experience, readers will gain insights into best practices for building sustainable, secure, and standards-compliant digital research infrastructures that support Open Science and European higher education alliances. This case study is relevant for academic leaders, research managers, librarians, and IT professionals involved in developing Open Research policies, managing digital repositories, and ensuring data security in collaborative environments.