Embedding Open Science Through Institutional Data Stewardship: Policy Development and Implementation at Rīga Stradiņš University

The transition to open science requires systematic institutional transformation beyond policy declarations. Rīga Stradiņš University (RSU) acknowledged that effective open science implementation demands dedicated expertise to bridge the gap between institutional mandates and researcher practice. Traditional research support structures lacked specialized knowledge to ensure consistent, quality-driven open science adoption across diverse research domains. In September 2024 RSU established a Data Steward unit encompassing four core pillars: policy development, proactive project monitoring, competence enhancement for researchers, and quality assurance of research data management. Data stewards developed a comprehensive Research Data Management Procedure aligning with international open science standards while addressing local research contexts and requirements. The unit endorses a systematic 30-day post project initiation monitoring for all funded projects, ensuring tailored data management planning within institutional deadlines. Researchers are contacted as projects near completion to facilitate dataset deposition in the institutional data repository. Within the first-year data stewards have facilitated more than 40 dataset uploads, representing over one-third of all datasets in the repository established in 2021, demonstrating remarkable acceleration in institutional data sharing. Data stewards conduct seminars and practical workshops on research data management, data storage, and dataset quality preparation. Over 400 individual consultations have been provided to RSU staff, ensuring personalized support alongside institutional training. The initiative has systematically embedded open science practices across RSU's research portfolio, outlining the need for workflows extending beyond individual projects. During implementation several strategic challenges were identified —researchers’ varying readiness for data sharing, fragmented funder requirements, and discipline-specific differences in data management needs. These issues are systematically addressed through targeted communication, tailored consultations, and data-driven monitoring. Future development envisions the gradual integration of reproducibility initiatives, deeper implementation of FAIR principles, and the establishment of inter-institutional partnerships, positioning data stewardship as a core component of the university’s research strategy. The project “Support for the implementation of open science in practice, as well as creating solutions for research data sharing and participation in the European Open Science Cloud” (ANM 2.1.3.1.i) is financed by the European Union Recovery and Resilience Facility and the Latvian state budget.