We’re excited to share that COS has officially established an independent subsidiary organization in Brussels, Belgium.
The new Belgian organization was formally established as an International Nonprofit Organization (INPO/AISBL) by Royal Decree. An AISBL is a Belgian legal structure specifically designed for international nonprofit organizations, making it well suited to COS’s work across national borders. The new organization provides a formal European base from which we can deepen partnerships, participate in European initiatives, and pursue opportunities that advance our global mission to increase openness, integrity, and trustworthiness of research.
One COS, Working Globally
While the Belgian organization is legally independent from COS in the United States, it will not operate as a separate organization. It is part of one integrated, global COS organization and strategy, with a shared mission, strategy, and brand.
The Brussels presence gives COS greater flexibility to engage with European institutions, research organizations, funders, and communities and to participate more fully in initiatives that shape the future of research. In doing so, it extends COS’s capacity to contribute globally rather than creating a parallel organization.
Building on a Strong Foundation
COS has long worked with researchers, institutions, funders, policymakers, and open science communities across Europe. This new presence builds on those relationships while creating opportunities for deeper and more sustained engagement.
Our approach will be intentional and incremental: listen and learn, partner and co-create, and contribute where COS can add distinct value. We are not seeking to duplicate work already underway or build parallel infrastructure. Instead, we want to understand the needs and opportunities across different research systems and work alongside others to advance shared goals.
A stronger European presence also creates opportunities to broaden COS’s partnerships and funding base and strengthen the resilience of our global work.
Focusing Our Work to Increase Our Impact
This new chapter comes at an important moment in COS’s evolution. We are also making significant changes to OSF, narrowing its scope so that we can focus our resources on the functions where OSF is best positioned to advance open science, while working more effectively within a broader system of complementary infrastructure and services.
These decisions reflect a common principle: focus does not mean doing less for open science; it means being more deliberate about where COS can contribute most effectively.
For OSF, that means concentrating on its distinctive role and strengthening connections with other infrastructure. For COS more broadly, it means building the partnerships, relationships, and capabilities needed to contribute across a global system without trying to do everything ourselves.
Our presence in Brussels is part of this same evolution. As the open science system becomes increasingly interconnected across organizations, disciplines, and geographies, COS has an opportunity to contribute by connecting with and learning from others, and bring our distinctive expertise to shared challenges.
Where We Hope to Collaborate
Our 2026–2028 Strategic Plan focuses COS on Lifecycle Open Science (LOS) and three strategic pathways: Demonstrate, Improve, and Promote. Our work in Europe will contribute to these pathways across five core program areas:
- Open Science Infrastructure — building and supporting infrastructure that enables open, transparent research.
- Open Science Solutions — developing practical solutions that help researchers and institutions adopt better practices.
- Capacity Building — strengthening the knowledge, skills, and networks needed for open science.
- Assessing Research Practices — developing evidence and approaches for understanding and improving research practices.
- Reimagining Research — exploring new models and approaches for a more open, trustworthy, and effective research system.
We see opportunities to collaborate with European and global partners on research, infrastructure, policy, capacity building, convening, and other initiatives that can help make open science the default.
Looking Ahead
Establishing the Belgian organization is an exciting milestone, but it is ultimately a means to a larger goal: greater impact in advancing open, trustworthy research globally.
We look forward to deepening relationships across Europe, learning from the many communities already advancing open science, and finding new opportunities to work together.
If you’re interested in partnering with COS, we’d love to hear from you: contact@cos.io.
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