OPUS News

The OPUS team has been hard at work for months, creating the first version of the OPUS Research Assessment Framework (RAF). This innovative tool is set to change the way we evaluate research. The framework provides a range of indicators and metrics specifically designed for research organizations and funding bodies to assess researchers for career advancement and grant applications. By using the OPUS RAF, research organizations can effectively evaluate the quality and impact of research while promoting the principles of Open Science. It’s important to note that the RAF also includes a focus on Open Science practices, providing recognition and incentives for these important aspects.

As part of the OPUS project, two key documents have been finalized to drive this initiative forward. Deliverable D.2.1 outlines interventions to test in pilot programs, focusing on rewards and incentives for researchers. Deliverable D.3.1 presents indicators to test in these pilot programs, covering metrics for Open Science practices.

The development of the RAF takes inspiration from influential policies and existing frameworks like the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA), Leiden Manifesto for Research Metrics, Hong Kong Principles, and Recommendations by the Open Science Policy Platform (OSSP), among others. By incorporating elements from these important documents, the RAF aims to create a comprehensive assessment tool that combines both quantitative and qualitative approaches, covers research and non-research activities, and meets the unique needs of research organizations and funding bodies.

Throughout the development process, key stakeholders in research assessment and Open Science have played a crucial role. Collaboration with partners within the OPUS project, pilot organizations, the Advisory Board, and external stakeholders has helped shape the RAF. Input from pilot initiatives, targeted stakeholder feedback, and an open consultation with the wider research community will guide future improvements to the RAF.

The RAF offers a comprehensive set of indicators and metrics to assist in researcher assessment within research organizations and funding bodies. These activities are categorized into research, education, leadership, and valorization, allowing organizations to customize their assessment systems to their specific needs. The framework covers a broad range of activities and includes a dedicated focus on Open Science to ensure that both types of activities receive appropriate recognition and rewards.

Important Deliverables

Two separate deliverables under the OPUS project, Work Package 2 (WP2) – Interventions for Open Science (Rewards and Incentives for Researchers), and Work Package 3 (WP3) – Indicators and Metrics for Open Science (Rewards and Incentives for Researchers), have been finalized:

• D.2.1 Interventions to Test in the Pilots to support the implementation of the RAF, Deliverable D2.1 outlines various interventions available for testing during the pilot phase of the project. These interventions provide practical support for research organizations and funding bodies and can be used alongside the RAF framework. The indicators and metrics from the RAF will undergo rigorous testing in selected pilot organizations to ensure their effectiveness.
• D.3.1 Indicators to Test in the Pilots: Deliverable D3.1 provides in-depth insights into the guiding principles, structure, and implementation of the RAF. It features generic indicators and metrics in Section 3 and Open Science indicators and metrics in Section 4. The report concludes with a discussion on future steps and the role of the OPUS project. For a detailed overview, including all indicators and metrics, you can refer to Appendix 1, which presents the full RAF.

What’s Next?

With the finalization of these two critical deliverables, the OPUS project has achieved a significant milestone in research evaluation. To enhance its effectiveness, the developers will conduct comprehensive testing and gather feedback over the next eighteen months. Valuable feedback on potential areas for improvement, as well as the appropriateness of chosen categories and indicators, will refine the framework.

Pilot institutions will play a crucial role in thoroughly testing the framework and providing valuable feedback on both the indicators and interventions. This iterative process ensures that the OPUS RAF becomes a practical and user-friendly tool for European research organizations and funding bodies.

A sector-wide consultation will engage key organizations, projects, and sector partners, gathering insights and perspectives from various stakeholders in the research community. By involving diverse voices, the final version of the OPUS framework will be more comprehensive and relevant.

As the OPUS RAF undergoes further refinement and collaboration, it holds the promise of shaping research evaluation practices in a profound way. The project’s dedication to continuous improvement and engagement with stakeholders ensures that the final version of the OPUS RAF will meet the needs of the research community, driving positive change and progress.

Stay tuned for updates as the OPUS project takes research assessment into a new era of transformation. We will provide detailed insights into each deliverable, giving you a comprehensive understanding of the progress made and the significance of these developments. Keep an eye out for more information on each deliverable in the coming days.

As an important initiative that aims to help reform research assessment and incentivize researchers to practice Open Science, the OPUS project has started with Work Package 1 (WP1) State-of-the-Art which conducted an analysis of initiatives and literature related to Open Science.

In simple terms, the OPUS project team members analysed Open Science initiatives and literature that encourage researchers to practice Open Science. The first task (Task 1.1 within WP1) run by our team members was a State-of-the-Art analysis on Open Science initiatives, that covered an analysis of projects linked to Open Science and key experts, organizations, and networks associated with Open Science. It also produced a stakeholder engagement plan, focusing on means of engaging key target actors to support their input in the other two work packages of the project: WP2 (developing interventions for RPOs and RFOs to implement a reformed research(er) assessment system that incentivises and rewards Open Science) and WP3 (developing indicators and metrics for a reformed assessment system at RPOs and RFOs that incentivises and rewards Open Science).

Deliverable 1.1 “Initial State of the Art on Open Science Initiatives” aims to provide an initial structured input to the project’s overall objective to develop coordination and support measures to reform the assessment of research and researchers at Research Performing Organisations (RPOs) and Research Funding Organisations (RFOs) towards a system that incentivizes and rewards researchers to practice Open Science.

At the GraspOS kickoff meeting that is being held today at the Athens University History (Athens, Greece), OPUS project partner Technopolis Group, and its representative Gareth O’Neill – Principal Consultant on Open Science, presented what the OPUS does when it comes to a set of interventions for Open Science toward a system that incentivises and rewards researchers to take up practices of providing open access to research outputs, early and open sharing of research, participation in open peer-review, measures to ensure reproducibility of results, and involving all stakeholders in co-creation.

GraspOS (next Generation Research Assessment to Promote Open Science) is a new project funded under the EOSC umbrella. The project builds on previous work and aims to promote Responsible Research Assessment by enabling a rewards and recognition system based on a new generation of (qualitative or quantitative) metrics and indicators. GraspOS will develop, assess and put into operation an open and trusted federated infrastructure for next generation research metrics and indicators. Developing an Open Science Assessment Framework (OSAF) is shown as a key project objective. The 18-partner GraspOS project consortium shows again some overlap with the consortia for the other two EOSC projects presented previously, FAIRCORE4EOSC and FAIR-IMPACT.

O’Neill explained that the goal of OPUS is to develop coordination and support measures to reform the assessment of research(ers), along with the following:

• Conduct a comprehensive state-of-the-art on existing literature and initiatives for Open Science
• Develop a comprehensive set of interventions to implement Open Science at RPOs and RFOs
• Develop realistic indicators and metrics to monitor and drive Open Science at RPOs and RFOs
• Test the interventions and indicators and metrics via action plans in pilots at RPOs and RFOs
• Utilise a stakeholder-driven feedback loop to develop, monitor, refine, and validate actions
• Synthesise outcomes into policy briefs and a revised OS-CAM2 for research(er) assessment.

OPUS is is an EU-funded project being implemented in the period from 1 September 2022 to 31 August 2025 by an eighteen-organisations consortium led by The Oceanic Platform of the Canary Islands (PLOCAN). All 18 organisations implementing the OPUS project are active at the European level spanning the whole spectrum of Open Science.

OPUS is is an EU-funded project being implemented in the period from 1 September 2022 to 31 August 2025 by an eighteen-organisations consortium led by The Oceanic Platform of the Canary Islands (PLOCAN). All 18 organisations implementing the OPUS project are active at the European level spanning the whole spectrum of Open Science.

Presentation available here.

Webinar on the 2023–2024 calls of “Reforming and enhancing the European R&I system in Horizon Europe” will take place on 12 January at 10:00–12:30 (CET) in MS Teams.

In this webinar, you will learn about the relevant context – European Research Area (ERA) and its goals as well as the main things you need to know about the calls´ topics and application. Additionally, two successful applicants will share their experiences and tips. All in all, you will learn everything you need to know to get inspired and get aboard.

Representative of the OPUS consortium, Dragana Mitrovic (ICoRSA) will present the OPUS Project best practice example, with practical tips and tricks on partner search, forming consortium and successful application.

See agenda here.

Please register here until 11 January 2023, 12:00 CET.

European Research Area (ERA)

The European Research Area (ERA) is the ambition to create a single, borderless market for research, innovation and technology across the EU.

It helps countries be more effective together, by strongly aligning their research policies and programmes. The free circulation of researchers and knowledge enables better cross-border cooperation, building of critical mass, continent-wide competition.

ERA was launched in 2000 and a process to revitalise it began in 2018.

18 partners of the OPUS Project presented their plans

The Open and Universal Science (OPUS) Project Kick Off Conference, coordinated and hosted by PLOCAN, took place on September 19–20, 2022 at PLOCAN premises in Telde, Gran Canaria, Spain.

It is the first conference gathering all OPUS Project Consortium partners in one place since the project started on September 1. In the following period of 36 months, OPUS will conduct a specific focus on reforming the research(er) assessment system to incentivise and reward researchers to take up Open Science practices: providing open access to research outputs, early and open sharing of research, participation in open peer-review, measures to ensure reproducibility of results, and involving citizens, civil society, and end-users in the co-creation of research and innovation agendas and content.

OPUS Project Coordinator Gordon Dalton – PLOCAN, and Project Manager, Jessica Huntingford – RESOLVO srl opened the Kickoff Conference.

“OPUS is more than a theory project, it is very practical and we are proud to have research organisations: 3 research performing organisations (RPOs) and 2 research funding organisations (RFOs), where we will set up and monitor interventions to implement a reformed Open Science system“, Dr. Dalton said.

Jean-Emmanuel Faure, DG RTD, Policy Officer for Open Science at EU Commission joined the conference online and presented his expectations on the project from the European Research Executive Agency (REA) perspective, a funding body mandated by the European Commission to support the EU Research and Innovation Policy. He also presented a survey on which type of academic work matter most for research careers.

Rinske Van-Den-Berg, OPUS Project Officer in REA also joined online the OPUS kick-off conference, explaining the expectations from her perspective and providing inputs on how to successfully implement the project.

‘OPUS team managed to convince Horizon Europe and three main assessment partners that 18 partners consortium is more than capable of implementing research assessment in the Open Science project, said Van-Den-Berg. This also means that OPUS needs to meet these expectations.

On day 2 at the OPUS Kick-off conference, representatives of partner organisations presented the plan of all the work packages. RESOLVO Srl, Yerun, CRAC-Vitae, MCAA, Eurodoc, UNESCO and TrustInside representatives presented their plan to conduct state-of-the-art on existing literature and initiatives for Open Science.

Shortly after, John Crowley from TrustInside presented how we can contribute to a higher level of social trust in doing open science? What do institutions need to do to create trustworthy organisations? While explaining the importance of creating specific frameworks, protocols, and procedures, John Crowly – TrustInside presented the Tree of Trust.

CRAC Vitae (Emma Day and Claire Viney) and Technopolis (Gareth O’Neil) representatives presented Work Packages 2 and 3:  Interventions for Open Science and Indicators and Metrics for Open Science (Reward and Incentives for Researchers). In the future OPUS will develop interventions to be tested by pilot RPOs and RFOs in activity 4 (WP4): In particular, in WP4, OPUS will test interventions and indicators and metrics for Open Science via 3 pilot RPOs (Nova University Lisbon, University of Rijeka, and University of Cyprus) and 2 pilot RFOs from Lithuania and Romania (RCL and UEFISCDI). These pilot organisations will learn from each other and draw experience from external experts in mutual learning exercises. The results of the pilots will be translated into policy briefs and thematic workshops that will help to raise awareness, build trust, and drive the uptake of Open Science in the community.

UNESCO representative Juliana Chaves Chaparro presented that OPUS will develop and disseminate policy briefs on Open Science and a revised OS-CAM to assess research careers. The policy briefs will summarise the key findings of the project (initial and final) and link to the wider global context of Open Science in terms of (1) research(er) assessment, (2) incentives and rewards, (3) precarity of research careers, (4) gender equality, (5) industry practices (implemented by (UNESCO, ABIS, EURODOC, MCAA, PLOCAN, RESOLVO SRL, TGB, TrustInside, Vitae, VU, YERUN). The revised OS-CAM will provide a concrete career assessment framework to evaluate researchers at RPOs and RFOs (implemented by UNESCO, ABIS, EURODOC, MCAA, RESOLVO SRL, TGB, Vitae, VU, YERUN).

“A system that incentivises researchers to practice Open Science must show researchers why sharing their scientific work is important!”, said Dragana Mitrovic, from ICoRSA. To motivate researchers, ICoRSA, the leader on Work Package 7 will particularly take this in mind while working on Dissemination & Communications plan with strategic and targeted measures for promoting Open Science.

OPUS Project Coordinator – PLOCAN will ensure the management, coordination, and communication of the project, which specifically means developing all plans and reports for project coordination and data management, and ensuring that all partners collectively contribute to a successful implementation of the project.

A very motivated project team ended up the Kick Off Conference with concrete plans and ideas on how to make an impact on all relevant Open Science stakeholders.

OPUS is a Horizon Europe-funded project of 36 months that started on 1st September 2022 with estimated eligible costs of a total of almost 2 million euros.

The European Commission has awarded PLOCAN as a coordinator with a European Research Area (ERA) consortium grant in the WIDERA programme.

The OPUS project involves 18 different European partners, covering a wide range of organisations with relevant expertise to this project:

• PLOCAN – PLATAFORMA OCEANICA DE CANARIAS
• UNESCO – UNITED NATIONS EDUCATIONAL SCIENTIFIC AND CULTURAL ORGANIZATION,
• ICoRSA – INTERNATIONAL CONSORTIUM OF RESEARCH STAFF ASSOCIATIONS,
• UNL – UNIVERSIDADE NOVA DE LISBOA,
• TGB – TECHNOPOLIS CONSULTING GROUP BELGIUM,
• YERUN – YOUNG EUROPEAN RESEARCH UNIVERSITIES NETWORK,
• EURODOC – EURODOC-LE CONSEIL EUROPEEN DES DOCTORANTS ET JEUNES DOCTEURS,
• UEFISCDI – UNITATEA EXECUTIVA PENTRU FINANTAREA INVATAMANTULUI SUPERIOR A CERCETARII DEZVOLTARII SI INOVARII,
• RCL – Lietuvos mokslo taryba,
• ABIS – THE ACADEMY OF BUSINESS IN SOCIETY,
• MCAA – MARIE CURIE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION, UNIRI – SVEUCILISTE U RIJECI,
• TrustInside,
• VU – VILNIAUS UNIVERSITETAS,
• RESOLVO SRL,
• UCY – UNIVERSITY OF CYPRUS,
• CRAC-Vitae / CAREERS RESEARCH AND ADVISORY CENTRE (CRAC),
• JISC LBG

OPUS will develop coordination and support measures to reform the assessment of research and researchers at Research Performing Organisations (RPOs) and Research Funding Organisations (RFOs) towards a system that incentivises and rewards researchers to practise Open Science.

OPUS understands the term ‘Open Science’ to refer to practices providing open access to research outputs, early and open sharing of research, participation in open peer-review, measures to ensure reproducibility of results, and involving citizens, civil society, and end-users in the co-creation of research and innovation agendas and content. With this interpretation of Open Science, OPUS will conduct a specific focus on reforming the research(er) assessment system to incentivise and reward researchers to take up these practices.

OPUS will deliver a state-of-the-art of existing literature for Open Science, interventions to implement a reformed Open Science system at Research Performing Organisations (RPOs) and Research Funding Organisations (RFOs). OPUS will develop indicators and metrics to monitor the implementation of the interventions. In particular, incentives to reward researchers to practise Open Science will be developed and tested.

In particular, OPUS will test interventions and indicators and metrics for Open Science via 3 pilot RPOs (Nova University Lisbon, University of Rijeka, and University of Cyprus) and 2 pilot RFOs from Lithuania and Romania (RCL and UEFISCDI). These pilot organisations will learn from both each other and draw experience from external experts in mutual learning exercises. The results of the pilots will be translated into policy briefs and thematic workshops that will help to raise awareness, build trust, and drive the uptake of Open Science in the community.

The project will commence on 1 September 2022 with an implementation period of 36 months. The kick-off conference is taking place on September 19 – 20, 2022 in Gran Canaria.