Open Science News

LMU Open Science Center held a symposium titled “Reforming Research Assessment: how to implement responsible procedures and move beyond impact factors and h-index?” on March 13, 2023, which aimed to address the concerns regarding the existing metrics that are used to assess research productivity. The use of journal impact factors and h-index to assess individual researchers has been heavily criticized for promoting a “publish or perish” culture and lacking validity.

The symposium discussed multiple initiatives that called for alternatives to the existing metrics that better reflected the quality of research. The themes of the recommendations of initiatives such as The Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA) and the Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA) included the elimination of journal-based metrics in funding, appointment, and promotion considerations, the assessment of research on its own merits, and the recognition of diverse outputs, practices, and activities that maximize the quality and impact of research.

As of January 12, 2023, 441 organizations, including the European Commission, the League of European Research Universities, and the European University Association, had signed the Agreement on Reforming Research Assessment, agreeing to define an action plan within the year.

The symposium aimed to address how to practically implement and evaluate a reformed research assessment, what the consequences would be for researchers from signing institutions or applying for signatory funding agencies, how to ensure a smooth transition for early-career researchers, and how to reconcile diverse needs across disciplines. The event included presentations from CoARA Steering Board Member Prof Dr Toma Susi, Vice President Research & Development at Ernst-Abbe-Hochschule Jena Prof Dr Kristin Mitte, Head of Division Life Sciences II at the German Research Foundation (DFG) head office Dr Tobias Grimm, Scientific Strategic Advisor in the Scientific Director’s Office at the Max Delbrück Center in Berlin Dr Jess Rohmann, and Managing Director of the LMU Open Science Center Prof Dr Felix Schönbrodt. The event was chaired by Open and Reproducible Data Science Consultant Dr Heidi Seibold, an Associate Member of the LMU Open Science Center.

The symposium shed light on the need for profound changes in how academic achievements are evaluated in both hiring and funding decisions. The practical implementation of the reformed research assessment and the transition for early-career researchers are essential aspects that need to be considered while moving beyond the existing impact factors and h-index.

You can find the slides and the recording of the presentations on the LMU Open Science Center OSF repository: https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/EQKJZ

To join the LMU Open Science Center community and be notified of our workshops and meetups (see event list here: https://www.osc.uni-muenchen.de/events/index.html), you can subscribe to their mailing list: https://lists.lrz.de/mailman/listinfo/lmu-osc. 

Source: https://www.osc.uni-muenchen.de/members/join/index.html.

The 3rd United Nations Open Science Conference from 8 to 10 February 2023 (9.00 a.m. to 1.30 p.m. New York Time) is organized by the Dag Hammarskjöld Library of the United Nations Department of Global Communications in collaboration with the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Division of Sustainable Development Goals, and UNESCO’s Division of Science Policy and Capacity-Building. 

In observance of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science (11 February), policy makers, IGO representatives, researchers, scholars, librarians, publishers and civil society will engage in a dialogue about the opportunities and challenges of practicing open science.  

Under the theme “Accelerating the Sustainable Development Goals, Democratizing the Record of Science”, panels and keynotes will focus on three streams: 

• Equity in open scholarship 
• Reforming scientific publishing 
• Strengthening the science-policy-society interface 

More information, including the concept note, registration and detailed programme, is available on the Conference website: https://www.un.org/library/OS23 

Hear more about ground-breaking open access initiatives, learn about new perspectives of scholarly communications and participate in lively discussions about the present and future of open science practices for the SDGs. 

UNESCO Open Science team 

#OpenScienceUN

The International Science Council (ISC) published on World Science Day for Peace and Development an article by its President, Sir Peter Gluckman.

Science diplomacy — the use of science to advance diplomatic goals — is critical for addressing challenges to the global commons such as climate change and pandemics. Beyond the formal processes of science diplomacy, scientists and scientific organizations can play important informal diplomatic roles.

Depending on the context, individuals, institutions, scientific organizations including academies and scientific unions can all contribute to science diplomacy. Any form of scientific collaboration can have diplomatic spillovers, but in order to engage beyond capricious impacts, it is important to understand the science–diplomatic interface just as with other aspects of the science–policy interface. Universities can have a critical role in bridging the science, public policy, and diplomatic communities as well as offering research and training opportunities in science diplomacy.

Organizations such as the International Network for Governmental Science Advice (INGSA), GESDA, American Association for Advancement of Science (AAAS) in conjunction with The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), and an increasing number of universities provide short courses or summer schools that are aimed at early career scientists. Many diplomatic academies have extended their training beyond diplomats and promoted science diplomacy with the science community (e.g., Diplomatic Academy of Vienna). Some countries have followed the example of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Jefferson Science Fellowships and the AAAS’s Science and Technology Policy Fellowships, which allow scientists to work within foreign ministries. Such experiential engagement, perhaps through an internship, gives a greater understanding of the 2 cultures.

Science diplomacy has its own online journal for researchers (Science Diplomacy). The European Commission has supported major collaborative research efforts to develop and understand science diplomacy. Moreover, the same tools of science diplomacy need not refer only to nation-to-nation interactions, but also to cities and regions (e.g., the Barcelona SciTech DiploHub).

Read the full article and access references at:
Gluckman PD (2022) Scientists and scientific organizations need to play a greater role in science diplomacy. PLoS Biol 20(11): e3001848. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3001848

Open Science Communication Conference – OpenSciComm 2022 will be held on November 24-25, 2022 in Belgrade, Serbia.

The OpenSciComm 2022 conference is initiated to present effective and reliable practices of science communication, to show their potential in different environments and tackling critical subjects and topics, and to facilitate the exchange of ideas and approaches among peers and practitioners. The conference will contribute to the CPN’s mission to bring together the scientific community and society at large through creative and valuable dialogue, enabling active networking and fostering public understanding of science by leveraging technology.

The OpenSciComm 2022 conference will connect complex research concepts and topics with the concepts that are familiar to the public such as climate change, artificial intelligence, cutting-edge technologies, etc. The main goal of the conference is the presentation of recent, novel and inspirational practices, exchange of ideas and approaches, and networking between international peers.

In the scope of the OpenSciComm, another one-day conference will be held at the Yugoslav Film Archive. Namely, the two H2020 projects RRI2SCALE and TeRRIFICA are organising together their joint final event on November 23, entitled “EmbeddingRRIfor smart and climate resilient European regions”, which will include presentations of both projects, interactive sessions, open roundtables, as well as inspiring talks about RRI and regional climate developments. Attendance at the conference is free of charge, but with a limited capacity. Information about the conference is available here, together with the registration form.

Open Science Communication Conference – OpenSciComm 2022

November 24-25, 2022
Yugoslav Film Archive
Belgrade, Serbia
Working language: English

Open Science and Science Communication

In a knowledge-based society, citizens are able to make decisions based on the reliable and relevant information delivered by science. Open Science and Science Communication refers to public communication presenting science-related topics, not only among scientists, but primarily targeting all social strata. The basis is in strengthening understanding of science and increasing scientific literacy as an indispensable part of everyday life.

Science Communication refers to public communication presenting science-related topics not only among scientists but primarily targeting all social strata. The communication of science to diverse audiences and the engagement of scientists with all parts and aspects of society, including policymakers, are key factors in this process. Science Communication as an academic discipline is taught across the globe, however it isn’t yet recognised as such in the Republic of Serbia. There are no related study programmes nor thematic courses at the universities in Serbia.

Open Science is based on the principle of openness and transparency in the whole research cycle. It fosters and reinforces core academic values, such as research integrity, cooperation and knowledge sharing, while making scientific research and its dissemination accessible to all levels of society, amateur or professional. Open Science is also key to increasing public trust in science and as a means to spark interest and foster the public’s participation in research activities. As a European concept/policy it was first introduced in 2016, further strengthening and improving since. The Republic of Serbia adopted the Open Science Platform in 2018.

Source: Center for the Promotion of Science

The Center for Open Science and Management of Scientific Information at the University Library of Rijeka is organising the second in a series of Open Science Cafes as part of International Open Access Week ( October 24-30, 2022) on October 27, 2022 from 17.00 to 18.00 CE(S)T on the Microsoft Teams platform. The event is organised for researchers from the University of Rijeka.

The Open Science Cafe is open to all researchers of University of Rijeka interested in the topic of selecting a journal for publication. We’ll discuss journal selection criteria, publishing in open-access journals, and predatory journals.

The University of Rijeka (UNIRI) is one of the 3 pilot RPOs where OPUS will test interventions, indicators, and metrics for Open Science.
Founded in 1973, the University of Rijeka has matured into a modern European university and a centre of excellence whose impact extends beyond the region. It is a research, science, and education-oriented university that supports social and economic development in its community and the wider region.

It is the first university in Croatia to be assigned the “HR Excellence in Research Award” in 2010 while in 2021 the Open Science Policy of the University of Rijeka was adopted and the University signed The Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA).

28 and 29 September 2022

Let’s shape the future together: registration is open!

European Research and Innovation Days is the European Commission’s annual flagship Research and Innovation event, bringing together policymakers, researchers, entrepreneurs and the public to debate and shape the future of research and innovation in Europe and beyond.

The event will take place online on 28 and 29 September 2022, allowing everyone to get involved from anywhere.

This year’s European Research and Innovation Days gives you the opportunity to discuss and shape new solutions to strengthen Europe’s resilience and its strategic autonomy. Join us to debate how research and innovation deliver on the European Commission’s priorities.

This is your chance to discuss the new European Innovation Agenda, the European Year of Youth, the richness of European cultural creativity, the EU Missions and many more topics.

Explore the programme, discover the sessions for you and get ready to discuss the future of research and innovation with participants from across Europe and beyond.

Register here and stay tuned for more news und updates! by following us on Twitter @EUScienceInnov and join the conversation on #RiDaysEU.

The EU published the results of the 2022 Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI), which tracks the progress made in the EU Member States in the digital field, on the basis of both Eurostat data and specialised studies and collection methods. The DESI supports the EU Member States by identifying priority areas requiring targeted investment and action.

The EU is allocating €127 billion to support digital-related reforms and investments in the 25 national Recovery and Resilience Plans agreed by the Council thus far. Member States dedicated an average of 26% of their Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) allocation to digital transformation, above the mandatory 20% level. Austria, Germany, Luxembourg, Ireland, and Lithuania have chosen to invest more than 30% of their RRF allocation in digital.

This year’s DESI demonstrates that, while most Member States are making progress in their digital transformation, corporate adoption of digital technologies like AI and Big Data remains low, only 8% and 14%, respectively (target 75 percent by 2030), contrasting with the 34% utilization of cloud computing. Even in the top four countries – Finland, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Sweden – the adoption of sophisticated digital technologies (such as AI and Big Data) remains below 30%, falling well short of the 75 percent objective set for the 2030 Digital Decade.

Technologies such as big data and AI can significantly increase innovation and efficiency levels, particularly among SMEs. However, not more than 55% of EU SMEs have at least a basic level of digitization (target: at least 90% by 2030).

Digital literacy is another major challenge. This year it is expected that just 54% of Europeans aged 16 to 74 have basic digital abilities, while the Digital Decade‘s aim is at least 80% by 2030. Furthermore, the EU’s 9 million ICT professionals fall well short of the EU’s aim of 20 million specialists by 2030 and are insufficient to bridge the skills gaps that businesses are now facing. More than half of EU businesses (55 percent) reported difficulty filling ICT expert openings in 2020. It goes without saying that these shortages undermine the recovery and competitiveness of EU businesses and the Green Deal commitments.

The study also covers the European infrastructures of connectivity. By 2021, the coverage of networks connecting buildings with fiber will have reached 50% of homes, pushing overall fixed extremely high capacity network penetration to 70% (100% target by 2030). Last year, 5G coverage increased to 66 percent of the EU’s populous areas. Nonetheless, spectrum assignment, a critical precondition for the commercial launch of 5G, remains incomplete: in the great majority of Member States, only 56% of the total 5G harmonized spectrum has been assigned (Estonia and Poland are the exceptions). In these gaps is the key to unlocking 5G’s potential and enabling new services with significant economic and societal value, such as linked and automated mobility, sophisticated manufacturing, smart energy systems, and eHealth.

Most EU Member-States offer vital public services online. Prior to the implementation of a European Digital Identity and Wallet, 25 Member States have at least one eID scheme in place, but only 18 of them have one or more eID schemes notified under the eIDAS Regulation, which is a critical enabler for safe digital cross-border transactions.

Together with DESI, Commission has also published a survey of enterprises on the data economy, studies on mobile and fixed broadband prices in Europe in 2021 and broadband coverage in Europe, and the eGovernment benchmark for 2022.

The Path to the Digital Decade, presented in September 2021 and expected to enter into force by the end of the year, establishes a novel governance mechanism in the form of a cycle of cooperation between EU institutions and Member States to ensure that the Digital Decade targets, objectives, and principles are met jointly. It charges the DESI with monitoring the Digital Decade objectives, and as a result, DESI indicators are now organized around the four cardinal points of the 2030 Digital Compass.

Source: EU Commission