In June 2023, the KR21 Research Network for the Western Balkans was established as part of the Knowledge Rights 21 project. The first research project focused on the copyright exception for data and text mining. The event will address this specific exception, which constitutes the legal basis for data analytics, as well as the general exception for research, which was introduced in the EU by the Infosoc Directive 2001/29/EC in 2001, but was only implemented in Slovenia last year with an amendment to the copyright legislation. In the closing session, Mag. Dunja Legat will present the topic of open science as it is practiced in Slovenia in accordance with the strategy and legislation in this area. Guests from the Western Balkan countries will present the activities that are taking place in this area in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Northern Macedonia and Serbia.