Experts Explore Open Science’s Role in Industry Innovation at OPUS Workshop

• April 9, 2025

Industry leaders, researchers, and public sector representatives gathered today for the OPUS Industry Workshop and discussed how Open Science and Open Innovation are reshaping business-academia collaborations and driving industrial advancement. The virtual event attracted more than 120 participants eager to explore the transformative potential of open approaches in fostering strategic partnerships across sectors.

Cross-Sector Collaboration Takes Centre Stage

The OPUS Consortium, under the leadership of YERUN, Technopolis Group Belgium, the University of Cyprus, and ICoRSA, organised the online workshop that brought together experts from diverse backgrounds. The workshop showcased real-world applications of Open Science (OS) and Open Innovation (OI) principles and best practices for researchers navigating both academic and industrial environments.

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“The boundaries between academia and industry are increasingly fluid,” said Gareth O’Neill (Principal Consultant on Open Science at Technopolis Group, Belgium) during his introduction of the OPUS Project. “Our initiatives aim to create frameworks that benefit both sectors while maintaining scientific integrity and driving innovation forward.”

Industry Share Insights

The workshop featured presentations from several prominent figures who offered their perspectives on open collaboration models.

AstraZeneca’s Open Innovation Programme and Academic Collaboration

Kelly Gray, Director of Open Innovation at AstraZeneca, delivered an insightful presentation titled “Advancing Healthcare: Pushing the Boundaries of Science with Open Collaboration.” She highlighted how pharmaceutical research benefits significantly from transparent data sharing and collaborative approaches, which are central to AstraZeneca’s Open Innovation programme.

Kelly elaborated on the programme’s mission to advance healthcare through open collaboration with external researchers. By sharing tools, technologies, data, and expertise globally, AstraZeneca facilitates partnerships that focus on preclinical and clinical research, repurposing existing assets, and addressing complex challenges through joint efforts. She stressed that this collaborative approach enables AstraZeneca to enhance its portfolio, showcase scientific leadership, and tap into external expertise.
The programme has yielded substantial results, including numerous publications, exploration of new disease areas, and collaborations spanning 40 countries. These partnerships benefit both AstraZeneca and external researchers by providing access to valuable resources, funding opportunities, and the potential for high-impact publications.
Kelly also underscored the importance of building trust and overcoming initial barriers to collaboration. She discussed the use of material transfer agreements as a mechanism to safeguard intellectual property while fostering innovation. Additionally, she highlighted the advantages of early identification of safety concerns in research projects.
During the Q&A session, a question was raised about the types of research outputs that can be made open in industry collaborations. Kelly responded by explaining that most data can be shared within the boundaries of confidentiality agreements, ensuring that sensitive information remains protected while enabling meaningful collaboration.
AstraZeneca’s Open Innovation programme exemplifies how transparent and structured collaboration can drive scientific progress while benefiting both industry and academia.

Public-private R&D Initiatives: CERN’s Collaborative R&D and Innovations

João Fernandes, Project Specialist at CERN, delivered a compelling presentation on collaborative public-private R&D initiatives, drawing from CERN’s extensive experience in managing large-scale international scientific collaborations with industrial partners. He provided concrete examples of how these partnerships had accelerated innovation across multiple fields.

As a senior member of CERN’s staff, João discussed the organisation’s mission to explore fundamental particles and the laws governing the universe. He highlighted the Large Hadron Collider as CERN’s flagship project and addressed the significant challenges it posed in terms of data management. João also reflected on the creation of the World Wide Web at CERN and its transformative impact on society.

In his talk, João emphasised the importance of innovation in tackling societal challenges and showcased several technological advancements that had emerged from CERN’s research. These included breakthroughs in radiotherapy, medical imaging, and machine learning. Furthermore, he elaborated on CERN’s collaboration with industry through mechanisms such as pre-commercial procurement and the CERN Quantum Technology Initiative. He stressed that these collaborations benefited both CERN and the private sector by providing access to cutting-edge research, fostering innovation, and accelerating time-to-market for new technologies.

Open Science and Brain Organoids

The discussion also delved into open science and data sharing practices at CERN, as well as the development of human brain organoids for pharmaceutical research. João explained that while CERN was working towards making more of its data openly accessible, it faced challenges such as embargo periods and the need for scientific validation before releasing data publicly. He reiterated that CERN’s primary mission remained high-energy physics but noted that the organisation was actively developing tools and practices that could be applied to other domains.

Following João’s presentation, Petra Szeszula introduced her startup, BrainZell, which focuses on developing human brain organoids to improve drug development success rates in neuroscience. She explained that these miniature brain tissues could be used to test new molecules on a larger scale and more efficiently than traditional animal testing methods.

The session highlighted how open science principles, combined with innovative technologies like brain organoids, have the potential to transform research practices across disciplines while addressing critical societal needs.

The Evolving Role of Researchers

Adding a new perspective to the discussion, Petra Szeszula, CEO of BrainZell, explored the evolving role of researchers who operate across both academic and industrial settings. Her insights shed light on the unique challenges and opportunities faced by professionals navigating these two distinct environments.
Petra spoke about the critical importance of value creation when founding a startup, particularly in the life sciences sector. She explained how the pharmaceutical industry depends on patents and exclusivity periods to generate profits that sustain further research and development. Drawing from her own experience with BrainZell, a biotech startup, she highlighted the specific challenges associated with deep tech ventures. These include the need for specialised equipment, highly trained experts, and substantial financial investment.

She emphasised that collaborations and partnerships are essential for overcoming these hurdles, as is protecting intellectual property. Petra also discussed various funding options available to startups and outlined the qualities required for entrepreneurial success. She noted that scientists often inherently possess many of these traits, making them well-suited for entrepreneurial endeavours in deep tech industries.

Through her presentation, Petra provided valuable insights into the intersection of academia and industry, offering practical advice for researchers and entrepreneurs seeking to navigate this complex but rewarding landscape.

Machine-Actionable Data: The Foundation for AI-Readiness

Professor Barend Mons, Professor Emeritus at Leiden University and Founding Director of the Leiden Institute for FAIR and Equitable Science (LIFES), provided a critical perspective on data management practices:

“At the basis of all ‘AI-readiness’, necessary for re-analysing big data,

is high-quality, machine-actionable data. Most experimental scientists (though now required, e.g., by EHDS) lack the skills or awareness to make data machine-actionable,” Mons stated during the discussion.

The professor encouraged participants to explore industry-developed tools, specifically mentioning those from SenseScience AI, which simplify FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) data practices and open-data publishing for non-technical users such as clinicians and researchers. “They make it easy ‘even for movie experimental users or medical doctors, to (a) make their data FAIR and (b) publish an open data article about the data themselves.”

Building Bridges Between Sectors

The workshop fostered interactive discussions that examined the shifting dynamics for researchers operating across academic and industrial landscapes. Participants engaged with industry representatives, gaining first-hand insights into successful collaboration models and exploring strategies to strengthen cross-sector partnerships.

Throughout the discussions, speakers repeatedly emphasised the growing importance of open, interdisciplinary approaches in shaping the future of research and innovation. The event demonstrated that as technological challenges grow more complex, the need for transparent collaboration between public and private entities becomes increasingly essential.

Bridging Theoretical Frameworks with Practical Applications of Open Science Principles

As the OPUS Project continues its work, today’s workshop represents an important milestone in bridging theoretical frameworks with practical applications of open science principles in industry settings. The diverse participation, from pharmaceutical companies to physics research organisations, underscores the broad relevance of these approaches across multiple sectors.

Balancing Openness and Competitive Advantage

The discussion explored the delicate balance between sharing research openly and maintaining a competitive edge. It was agreed that finding this balance is crucial, as excessive disclosure could risk losing competitive advantage. The importance of aligning objectives and expectations in collaborations between industry and academic or research institutions was also highlighted, along with the need for clear rules, urgency, and timing in such partnerships.
The conversation touched on the growing adoption of open science policies, raising questions about how open research should be, particularly when it involves data used to train AI algorithms.

The consortium plans to incorporate insights from today’s discussions into its ongoing initiatives, further strengthening the ecosystem for researchers moving between academic and commercial environments while promoting open science practices that benefit society as a whole.

Full report and presentations coming soon.