Dominican Republic launches SciELO RD, its first national open-access scientific journal collection

Santo Domingo.- The Dominican Republic has taken a major step toward strengthening its research ecosystem with the launch of SciELO RD, the country’s first national collection of open-access scientific journals integrated into the international SciELO network.

The new portal, officially known as SciELO República Dominicana, was presented by the Salomé Ureña Higher Institute for Teacher Training (ISFODOSU) in partnership with the Association of University Rectors (ADRU). The initiative aims to increase the visibility of Dominican academic production while making scientific knowledge more accessible to policymakers, businesses, and the broader public.

By joining the SciELO network, Dominican journals become part of a widely used international platform for open data and peer-reviewed research, positioning local scholarship alongside that of countries with more established research infrastructures.

ISFODOSU Rector Nurys del Carmen González said the institution has played a central role in making the project possible by providing technological infrastructure, servers, specialized personnel, and sustained financial support. She also highlighted recent progress at ISFODOSU, including increased investment in scientific productivity, the professionalization of academic publishing, and the consolidation of research groups.

ADRU President Odile Camilo described SciELO RD as a structural policy instrument designed to strengthen research in the country over the long term. She noted that countries with consolidated SciELO collections have achieved measurable improvements in editorial quality, international visibility, and the development of a strong research culture.

Camilo stressed that SciELO RD should be treated as a national, long-term initiative, with stable governance and sustainable funding. She also called for academic evaluation systems to formally recognize publications indexed in SciELO as part of faculty merit, and for the collection to be explicitly incorporated into higher education and science and technology policies.

During the presentation, ISFODOSU Research Director Vladimir Figueroa outlined the scope and benefits of the new collection, describing it as a milestone for open science and for the global visibility of knowledge produced in the Dominican Republic.

With the launch of SciELO RD, the country formally joins a regional network that promotes open science, editorial quality, and the international circulation of academic knowledge.