OpenAIRE, a European leader in Open Science infrastructure, and The Lens, a pioneering global open knowledge platform operated by Cambia, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen collaboration and enhance the discoverability and accessibility of scholarly and innovation-driven research.
The partnership aims to leverage the unique strengths of both organizations by integrating OpenAIRE’s extensive Open Science infrastructure with The Lens’ comprehensive scholarly and patent datasets. By enhancing metadata interoperability and enriching research links, this collaboration will support researchers, institutions, and policymakers in navigating the ever-evolving Open Science ecosystem.
Both OpenAIRE and The Lens are committed to democratizing access to research knowledge and fostering innovation. The OpenAIRE Graph—one of the largest open scholarly record databases – serves as a cornerstone for Open Science in Europe, while The Lens’ globally recognized platform connects scholarly works with patents, helping bridge research with innovation.
Through this MoU, the two organizations will work together to:
- Improve Metadata Accuracy and Integration – Strengthening the quality and interoperability of research output data.
- Facilitate Seamless Data Exchange – Enabling interconnectivity between OpenAIRE’s Research Graph and The Lens’ knowledge infrastructure.
- Expand Research Impact – Enhancing visibility and accessibility of research findings linked to innovation and patent records.
To achieve these objectives, OpenAIRE and The Lens will focus on the following key initiatives:
- Metadata Enrichment & API Interoperability – Aligning datasets through the integration of The Lens’ scholarly and patent APIs with OpenAIRE’s Research Graph.
- Text-Mining and Patent Linkages – Conducting experiments to extract and map patent references within OpenAIRE’s scholarly content, strengthening connections between academic research and intellectual property.
- Advancing Open Innovaton – Providing policymakers, institutions, and researchers with comprehensive datasets that bridge scholarly knowledge with innovation pathways.
“This collaboration with The Lens represents a crucial step in OpenAIRE’s mission to create a truly interconnected Open Science landscape. By linking research with innovation, we enhance transparency, accessibility, and the societal impact of scientific discoveries.” Paolo Manghi, CTO OpenAIRE
“Our partnership with OpenAIRE underscores our joint commitment to making knowledge more accessible to, and actionable by more and different people and institutions. By integrating scholarly and patent data in a human-focused experience, we provide a platform to form more effective partnerships and pathways to solving society’s great problems.” Richard Jefferson, CEO, Cambia (The Lens)
OpenAIRE and The Lens will begin by conducting a pilot phase to refine data integration methodologies and assess interoperability. Insights gained from this phase will help shape a long-term roadmap for expanding data exchange and open knowledge accessibility.
This MoU signifies a pivotal advancement in global Open Science efforts, reinforcing the dedication of OpenAIRE and The Lens to making research and innovation more interconnected and accessible, and critically, more effective at contributing to real solutions to the urgent problems of our time.
About The Lens
The Lens is a world leader in providing free and open exploration, discovery and analysis of worldwide innovation knowledge, including patents and research knowledge, serving 280M+ scholarly work records, 160M+ patent documents from over 100 countries, and 500M+ biological sequences extracted from patents. The Lens has been operating for twenty-five years as a project of the long-established non-profit social enterprise Cambia (which pioneered Open Science Practice and Biological Open Source in the 1980’s and 90’s), initially with support from leading global philanthropies, now supported by its users.
For more information, please contact info@lens.org.
