Iryna Kuchma

Iryna Kuchma is the Open Access Programme Manager for EIFL. Iryna has been managing the Open Access programme since 2008. Her responsibilities include the development, delivery and evaluation of a range of open access related activities.

Under Iryna's management, the Open Access Programme has many achievements, including the establishment of more than 700 open access repositories and more than 4,000 open access journals in EIFL's partner countries. The programme also supported the development of 54 open access policies in EIFL partner countries, opening up a wealth of new knowledge and research to the world. An expert on open access in developing and transition countries, Iryna is frequently asked to speak at conferences and open access events around the world. Before joining EIFL, Iryna worked as an Information Programme Manager at the International Renaissance Foundation (part of Soros Foundation network in Ukraine) and also coordinated the Arts and Culture Programme there.

Iryna is a member of Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) Advisory Board, DSpace Community Advisory Team (DCAT), NDLTD (Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations) Board of Directors, the Open Library of Humanities Internationalisation Committee, PLOS (Public Library of Science) International Advisory Group, and the Open Access Button Steering Committee. Iryna also chairs a Working Group ‘Repository and Repository Networks Support & Training’ in the Confederation of Open Access Repositories (COAR) and a Joint ARL/CARL/COAR/LIBER Task Force on Librarians’ Competencies in Support of E-Research and Scholarly Communication.

From 2009-2010, Iryna was a Steering Committee (and Task Group) member, InterAcademy Panel (IAP) on International Issues Programme dealing with Digital Knowledge Resources and Infrastructure in Developing Countries. She has also served on the Access to Learning Award (ATLA) Committee of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation's Global Library Initiative.

In 2013, Iryna received the Electronic Publishing Trust (EPT) for Development Annual Award, in recognition of her “efforts in the furtherance of open access to scholarly publications in the developing and emerging countries”.

Iryna has an M.A. in Cultural Studies from the National University ‘Kyiv-Mohyla Academy’, Ukraine.