Dr Tiberius Ignat is the Director of SKS Knowledge Services, a mission-driven company operating in the quaternary sector of the economy to make Research a popular culture.  His company runs a successful series of workshops – Focus on Open Science, now in its 11th year.

He developed and launched BESPOC (Broad Engagement in Science, Point of Contact), a model for science-society engagement that several European universities have implemented.

Tiberius is an EU Expert and occasionally assesses research proposals under EU funding schemes.

He is one of the founders of the LIBER Citizen Science Working Group, which he chaired until February 2025. He co-founded and served as the vice-chair of the Working Group “Citizen Science at University” at the European Citizen Science Association, and he is a member of the Association for Advancing Participatory Sciences (US). Tiberius is a member of the Scientific Committee for OAI, the CERN – Geneva University Workshop on open science and a member of the core group at EARMA’s Open Science Thematic Group (The European Association of Research Managers and Administrators).

Tiberius Ignat has a bachelor’s degree in economics and a PhD in information science from the University of Bucharest and is an active researcher in research management, participatory science, and research security.

Damla Bal is an early-career researcher and PhD candidate at the Doctoral School of Business and Management at Corvinus University of Budapest. Since 2019, she has been working with SKS Knowledge Services on projects that enhance the creation, dissemination, and application of knowledge. Within these projects, she is responsible for scholarly communication and research activities, fostering effective knowledge exchange and collaboration. Her involvement also extends to Citizen Science projects at SKS, significantly broadening her research perspective. Damla also leads the organization of the Focus on Open Science Chapters, an international event series that brings together researchers, professionals, and stakeholders from Europe, the UK, Asia, and Latin America. These events promote the implementation of Open Science practices by providing actionable insights and facilitating engaging discussions on transparency, collaboration, and inclusivity in research.

Adriana Ignat worked over 10 years in consultancy and big pharma companies being part of the top management team and developing the network of channel partners. She joined SKS since the beginning, working with international tenders and later on, supporting the development of Focus on Open Science series.