Between July 27 and 29, 2026, members of the RCAAP team, a digital service of the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), developed by FCCN, They participated in the training course “Responsible Management of Research Repositories”, held in Maputo, Mozambique, and promoted by the UbuntuNet Alliance. within the scope of an initiative funded by Invest in Open Infrastructure Fund.
The action brought together 45 professionals, mostly librarians and technicians from Mozambican higher education institutionsThe main objective of the initiative was To strengthen the skills needed for the creation, management, and sustainability of institutional open access repositories., contributing to increasing the visibility, accessibility, and reuse of African scientific production.
The program addressed topics such as Repository management in DSpace, metadata quality, FAIR and CARE principles, rights and licensing, access management, interoperability, and the development of institutional policies for repositories..
The training was facilitated by Paulo Lopes, manager of RCAAP and open access services at FCT|FCCN, and Raquel Truta, collaborator at the University of Minho. and responsible for support services at RCAAP.
THE Portuguese participation is part of the ongoing cooperation work with institutions from countries within the Community of Portuguese Language Countries. (CPLPin the areas of Open Science, from repository management to technical and organizational capacity building.
The training combined theoretical and practical components.
Throughout the three working days, the Participants deepened their theoretical knowledge and developed practical skills through exercises. in a DSpace facility specifically prepared for this purpose. The sessions also promoted the sharing of experiences between institutions with different levels of maturity in the implementation and management of repositories.
Results show positive impact.
The evaluation carried out at the end of the training revealed very positive results. Approximately 97.51% of participants felt that the initiative contributed to a better understanding of the role of institutional repositories. in the visibility of research, in digital preservation, in open access and in scientific communication.
Furthermore, 92.5% of participants stated that they felt more prepared. to contribute to the creation, improvement or consolidation of institutional repositories and their respective management policies.
The results obtained reflect the The growing interest of Mozambican institutions in developing open access infrastructures and adopting international best practices in the management of scientific information.a. The action also allowed strengthen existing cooperation networks and create conditions for future initiatives. training and technical support in the region.
This training integrates a broader effort to promote Open Science in Africa, with the objective of To increase the visibility and impact of research produced on the continent by strengthening institutional repositories. and the training of professionals responsible for its management.
