October 15, 2026
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We are pleased to welcome the Spanish Research State Agency (Agencia Estatal de Investigación, AEI) as a signatory of the Barcelona Declaration on Open Research Information.
As a national public research funder, AEI’s commitment adds important momentum to the growing participation of funding organisations in the Barcelona Declaration community and reinforces the role of open research information in making funding processes more transparent.
The Barcelona Declaration has a strong presence across Spain’s research landscape, with 29 signatories, including universities and other research-performing organisations, as well as research funding organisations. AEI’s signature as a national public research funder marks a particularly significant milestone in this broad commitment.
In its official announcement, AEI highlights how open research information can facilitate the analysis of funding outcomes and improve the monitoring of publicly funded grants. These are practical examples of how the principles of the Barcelona Declaration can support research funders.
AEI’s signature also complements its broader commitment to Open Science and research assessment reform, including DORA and its recent decision to join CoARA.
“AEI’s decision to join the Barcelona Declaration marks an important milestone. In Europe, most public research funding is allocated through national and regional systems, yet we still lack a sufficiently connected picture of what is being funded, and with what results. The Barcelona Declaration can help address this gap by bringing funders and institutions together around a commitment to open, interoperable and reusable research information. Funders can contribute by making high-quality funding metadata openly available at source, allowing the connection of research investments with the activities and outcomes they support. Given AEI’s central role in funding research in Spain, its commitment is particularly significant and can set an important example for other research funders across the country and beyond.”
Bernardo Rondelli, Barcelona Declaration Steering Group Member
AEI joins a growing group of national research funding organisations that have signed the Barcelona Declaration, including ANR in France, NWO in the Netherlands, and FWF in Austria.
We look forward to working with AEI and learning from its perspective as the Barcelona Declaration community continues developing shared approaches to open research information.
¡Bienvenida, AEI! We are delighted to have you with us.