Category: INOSC

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Launch Event Report – Open Science Community Torino

21st of March 2025 – Aula Blu, Rettorato UniTo

On the 21st of March, 2025 the Launch Event of the Open Science Community Torino (OSCT) took place in a crowded Blue Room at the Rettorato of the University of Torino (UniTo). More than 50 participants attended the event, including researchers, PhD students and professors.

The OSCT was born from an idea of a group of young researchers from the University of Torino,  Luca Visentin, Ilaria Stura, Evdokia Tema and Elena Giglia. They participated in the CUAP course for Data Stewardship organized by UniTo, and share a common vision for open, ethical, and transparent research. The OSCT is the first Italian Open Science community, and is a member of the International Network of Open Science & Scholarship Communities (INOSC).

The OSCT is an open community that aims to bring together researchers, students, technical staff and citizen scientists from in and around Torino, all united in the common goal of promoting Open Science in their Institutions.

Elena Giglia, opened the event by giving an introduction to the philosophy of Open Science, showcasing its benefits and the main challenges it faces. Next, Luca Visentin, one of the coordinators of the OSCT, presented the OSCT, explaining how this initiative was born, its objectives, and how to get involved, also describing the tools created to support communication among members.

The community has four main objectives:

  1. Organize Open Science initiatives in Turin, in collaboration with universities and other institutions;
  2. Support researchers in the practice of Open Science through the exchange of best practices, strategies and resources;
  3. Connect researchers interested in Open Science with a peer-to-peer network;
  4. Train on methods and strategies to integrate Open Science into daily research practice.

It was emphasized that OSCT is not a service, but a community of people, united by a shared desire to improve skills and knowledge, exchange ideas and experiences, and actively contribute to building a more open scientific culture.

Next, Mauro Paschetta for the Politecnico di Torino (PoliTo), Fabrizio Fossati for the Università del Piemonte Orientale (UPO), Emanuela Secinaro and Federico Ferrarese Lupi for the Istituto Nazionale di Ricerca Metrologica (INRiM) presented the Open Science efforts in their respective Institutions. They also discussed the challenges they face in their respective fields.

The audience actively participated in the event through a Mentimeter questionnaire, and this was one of the most interesting and fun parts of the event. 50 participants answered the proposed questions. Of these 50, the vast majority were from UniTo (41), but also INRiM (3), PoliTo (2), UPO (1) and Istituto di Ricerca per la Crescita Clinica (IRCC) (1).

Surprisingly, more than half of participants (26, 52%) were from the biomedical area, 8 had a chemistry or pharmaceutical background, 3 from Historical studies, 2 from Law studies. The remaining participants were from many fields: agronomics, engineering, computer science and other hard sciences. There were no participants from the departments of Human Studies, Philosophy or Economy.

Most participants were doctoral students or researchers (23 in total), but several full professors (7), assistant professors (5) and administrative (9) and research technicians (3) were in the audience, too.

As expected, participants felt prepared to publish their research in open access (OA, median of 4 out of 5 points) and deposit their articles in OA repositories (3/5). The audience was also informed about FAIR principles (3/5) and Open Peer Review (2.5/5), but pre registration of studies (1/5), preprints and Citizen Science (2/5) were less known topics. There is a significant drop between reported knowledge of a topic and its application in practice (p<0.01) for all areas with the exception of OA repository usage (p>0.05), possibly because these practices are nowadays widely adopted by the scientific community and rewarded by institutions.

The most known Open Science platform is Zenodo (24, 54.5%), followed by Sherpa Romeo (10, 22.7%). UniTo’s resources are basically unknown (www.oa.unito.it: 3, its intranet pages: 2), as well as the European initiatives and portals (COARA: 3, EOSC: 1).

We used freeform comments to ask participants about their difficulties in implementing Open Science. Most felt that the largest difficulty was the lack of knowledge (29), followed by a lack of dedicated support staff (16), lack of formal evaluation rewards (8) and of infrastructures (5). Some report the difficulty of introducing OS to their colleagues or external partners (6), having experienced resistance to OS in the past.

It is interesting to notice how these figures are reversed when participants are asked what their institutions are missing when supporting them in Open Science. The first answer is not education or training, but specific support staff (16), recognition of OS work (12), new infrastructure (10) and only then OS training (9). These responses suggest that for those interested in Open Science, the priority is not necessarily acquiring more knowledge, but rather having collaborators, support staff, and adequate structures to help them implement open practices in their day-to-day research.

This trend is also reflected in participants’ expectations for the OSCT: the majority (26) expressed the wish that it becomes a space for networking, mutual support, and collaboration among Open Science advocates. Secondly, they would like to organise or promote OS courses (17) at every level (masters, PhDs, for technicians and researchers proper), or thematic workshops on case studies (14).

Finally, more than half of the participants indicated e-mails as their preferred communication method, followed by Whatsapp (14), Discord (13) or Telegram (9). The OSCT will therefore start a mailing list, and the Discord Channel will remain open (https://discord.gg/JgTbFJGx).

The event ended with an Open Science Cafe’, an informal event where participants were encouraged to exchange ideas and comments on OSCT and have an open discussion with the organizers about key Open Science topics. The topic of Data Stewardship and the emerging figure of Data Steward was particularly popular among the audience.

In conclusion, the OSCT was warmly welcomed. Our hope is that this community will become a reference point for the Open Science efforts in and around Turin, where everyone can find space to offer and receive support, exchange advice, and build new collaborations, all in the true spirit of Open.

A sincere thank you to everyone who joined us in the launch event and that made this first step possible.

To join the Open Science Community Torino, go to https://osc-international.com/osc-torino/

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Comunidade de Ciência Aberta Pelotas integra a Rede Brasileira de Reprodutibilidade

Em março de 2025, oficializamos nossa participação na Rede Brasileira de Reprodutibilidade (RBR)(https://www.reprodutibilidade.org/), uma iniciativa multidisciplinar dedicada à promoção de práticas de pesquisa transparentes e confiáveis no Brasil.

A RBR reúne grupos, instituições e pesquisadores de diversas áreas do conhecimento, com o objetivo de avaliar e aprimorar práticas científicas, além de fomentar o debate sobre reprodutibilidade na pesquisa. Como parte desse compromisso, a Comunidade de Ciência Aberta Pelotas se junta à rede para fortalecer ações voltadas à transparência, integridade e confiabilidade na produção científica.

Acreditamos que a colaboração com a RBR contribuirá significativamente para a disseminação de boas práticas em nossa comunidade acadêmica e para o avanço da ciência aberta, colaborativa, acessível e reprodutível  no Brasil.

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Declaração da Comunidade [quem somos e no que acreditamos?]

A Comunidade de Ciência Aberta de Pelotas é um grupo colaborativo dedicado a engajar e apoiar a adoção dos princípios e práticas de Ciência Aberta na pesquisa. Nosso objetivo é promover ciência aberta, facilitando a comunicação 📢 e a colaboração 🤝 entre instituições, disciplinas e contextos comprometidos em tornar o conhecimento científico acessível 🌍 e utilizável 📖.

📚 Como fazemos isso?

Através de workshops, seminários e projetos colaborativos 🎓💡, buscamos inspirar e capacitar indivíduos – pesquisadores, estudantes e profissionais de qualquer área – para que contribuam e se beneficiem da Ciência Aberta. Nossa comunidade está aberta a qualquer pessoa interessada em promover a Ciência Aberta, independentemente de sua formação ou nível de experiência.

🔎 Por que isso é importante?

Ao promover essas conexões, queremos sensibilizar 💡, simplificar a implementação da Ciência Aberta 🔄 e apoiar a transferência de conhecimento 🌍. Nossa missão é derrubar barreiras tradicionais 🚧 na pesquisa científica, promovendo transparência 👀, reprodutibilidade 🔄 e aprendizado compartilhado 📖.

✅ Isso significa:

📂 Acesso aberto a dados, métodos e descobertas.

🔓 Recursos científicos disponíveis para todos que os procuram.

🌎 Democratização da pesquisa com ferramentas de acesso aberto.

🤝 Contribuições de uma rede global de colaboradores.

🎯 Além da academia!

Também priorizamos educação e divulgação, levando as práticas de Ciência Aberta para além do ambiente acadêmico 📢. Nosso objetivo é envolver toda a sociedade, garantindo que a pesquisa seja conduzida com integridade ✅ e seus benefícios sejam amplamente compartilhados 🔗.

🚀 Junte-se a nós e faça parte dessa transformação! 🌍💡

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O que é ciência aberta?

A Ciência Aberta é um movimento que busca tornar a pesquisa mais transparente, colaborativa, reprodutível e acessível. Mas o que isso significa na prática? Sabe quando você quer ler um artigo científico e aparece um paywall, te pedindo dinheiro para acessar? Ou quando um pesquisador fala que descobriu algo incrível, mas não compartilha os dados e ninguém consegue confirmar? Isso acontece porque boa parte da ciência ainda é feita de um jeito fechado. A Ciência Aberta vem para promover um avanço nisso, defendendo que o conhecimento deve ser acessível para todo mundo, sem barreiras. Isso significa:

✅ Acesso Aberto: Publicações científicas disponíveis para todos, sem barreiras pagas.

📂 Dados Abertos: Compartilhamento de dados de pesquisa para reuso e validação.

🤝 Colaboração e Inclusão: Fortalecimento do trabalho em rede e acesso ao conhecimento por pesquisadores de todo mundo.

🔄 Reprodutibilidade: Métodos e análises disponíveis para que outros possam replicar e validar estudos.

🔹 Transparência: Qualquer pessoa pode entender como a pesquisa foi feita e até repetir o experimento para confirmar os resultados. A Ciência Aberta não é apenas uma tendência – é o caminho para uma pesquisa mais ética, eficiente e inovadora! Ciência boa é ciência compartilhada! 💡✨

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Making scholarship look like the world looks:

A workshop day on Openness, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Academia

Check out this workshop that brings together knowledge and skills for a more inclusive, diverse, equitable and therefore more open academia, co-organised by OSC-NL. 

More info and registration

The values described in the UNESCO Recommendations on Open Science (OS) aim to ensure ‘equitable, fair and reciprocal access to science for all…’ and ‘embracing diversity of knowledge, practices, workflows, languages and research topics and outputs’.

The research community is far from embodying these values in everyday research practices and work environments. Therefore, the goal of this workshop is capacity building by equipping participants with know-how to make their research, research support, or events (such as presentations, training, engagement activities) more open, participatory, and inclusive in the broadest sense of the word.

This workshop offers three different interactive sessions:

1) Leveling the playing field for careers in science & measuring marginalization (Afreen Khalid, Ze Freeman)
2) Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion in the research lifecycle (Thomas Gülzow, Hanne Zimmermann)
3) Inclusive events, work environments and building ally skills (Esther Plomp, Melanie Imming)

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Launch Event of the Open Science Community Torino

We are excited to announce the launch event of the Open Science Community Torino (OSCT) which will be held in Turin at the Rettorato of the University of Turin, Aula Blu, in Via Po, 17, on the 21st of March 2025, from 14:00 to 16:00.

The OSCT is born in a tumultuous period for Academia in Italy and the world: budget cuts threaten to severely restrict what science can achieve, pressure from policymakers to defend the reason of existence of many research topics makes scientists uneasy, the ever-growing costs of publication are ethically questionable at best and exploitative at worst, and the hyper-competitiveness in science is growing to be an obstacle to scientific advancement.

In this context, we hope that the Open Science Community, with already over 20 “early bird” members, can provide a new way of doing science based on community building, transparency, best practices and mutual respect.

We would be thrilled to see you at the launch event! Here is a brief outline:

  • What Open Science is, why you should be interested and what it can do for you, your research and your well-being;
  • What the Open Science Community Torino is and what it is trying to do;
  • A roundtable with experts in Open Science, Reproducibility and Open Access to answer your questions and talk about OS, its challenges and how we can make our vision a reality;
  • An Open Science Cafe’ where we will informally chat and network in front of a snack.

See you there!

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Happy new year! Let’s meet up (postponed to 4 Feb.)

Thank you to everyone who came to our re-launch meeting on 25 Nov. The energy in the room was brilliant, and we have some solid areas to pursue this year. It’s time to get together and make things happen!

Meeting details: 
Date: 4 Feb. (Tuesday)
Time: 11am-noon
Location: Cairnes Biz Hub, CA239d
Register for the next OSCG meeting. 

Here are some other events around Ireland that you might be interested in over the next month:

· 21 Jan. (Tuesday): ReproducibiliTea Galway journal club (in person): After a unanimous vote, we’ll be discussing “Nobel and novice: Author prominence affects peer review” (Huber et al., 2022). Register for ReproducibiliTea Galway.

· 23 Jan. (Thursday): One Year with the Irish Open Access Monitor – Data Quality & Text Mining. The Irish National Open Access Monitor is a NORF-funded project to develop a comprehensive view of open access activity in Ireland. This webinar will be a presentation by IReL/OpenAIRE on on data quality practices in the Monitor, recent updates, and the role of AI and text mining in enhancing Monitor insights. Register for the Irish Open Access Monitor webinar.

· 5 Feb. (Wednesday): Open Access Policy Framework: Driving Accessibility in Humanities Research – presentation by the SCOIR (Secondary rights, Copyright, Open access, Institutional policies, and Rights retention) team focusing on its institutional Open Access Policy Framework and its implications for humanities scholarship. SCOIR is a NORF-funded project to unharness the power of open research. This session will explore the framework’s principles, goals, and strategies to enhance the accessibility and dissemination of research outputs in the field of humanities. Whether you’re a researcher, educator, or policymaker, this event provides an opportunity to engage in critical discussions about how open access policies can shape the future of academic publishing and ensure equitable access to knowledge. Your insights and feedback will help refine the Policy framework. Register for the SCOIR webinar.

· 12 Feb. (Wednesday): The potential of research assessment reforms to support the pursuit of societal impacts – presentation by Dr. Lizzie Gadd, Head of Research Culture & Assessment at Loughborough University. Dr. Gadd chairs the International Network Of Research Management Societies (INORMS) Research Evaluation Group and is a Vice Chair of the Coalition on Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA). Dr. Gadd’s presentation will explore some of the issues raised in Prof. Dónal Leech’s presentation at the Open Research Forum in December. This webinar is hosted by the University of Galway Research Office. Register for the Research Impact webinar.

If you have any questions, contact Dr. Jen Smith, Open Research Librarian, University of Galway.

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Welcome to the Open Scholarship Community Sussex!

Open Scholarship Community Sussex (OSCS) is a new initiative at the University of Sussex to bring together people interested in Open Research. We aim to provide a space for everyone to participate in Open Science/Research projects, to share information and best practice, to develop & deliver courses and knowledge-sharing, and to be a community hub for anyone interested in any aspect of Open Research.

2025 is set to be a big year for OSCS. Community is the means by which we can disrupt the traditional model of scholarly research and publication and forge a path that’s open, equitable, and far-reaching. We want to proactively build this community at Sussex through OSCS and create a better research environment for all. We’ll be kicking-off with discussion focused events that look at how we can challenge the predominant models of conducting and publishing research by investing in open alternatives.

If you want to get involved or to find out more, please email Andre Maia Chagas A.Maia-Chagas@sussex.ac.uk or Sam Nesbit sfn20@sussex.ac.uk.

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This is Open Science Community Umeå

Our Mission 

Open Science Community Umeå (OSCU) aspires to be a platform where researchers, academic professionals, and students can meet, discuss, collaborate, and act. We strive to support a research culture that encourages openness, collaboration, reproducibility, and accountability at Umeå University.  

Join us! 

Therefore, we invite all researchers and students at UmU who share our belief in Open Science to join our community. Come learn what you can do to improve the way research is conducted, shared, and disseminated. 

Our Vision

OSCU is a part of the International Network of Open Science & Scholarship Communities (INOSC). The groups within this network have a shared vision. We believe that the Open Science reform might be our time’s most significant shift in research policy and practice. The opportunity to influence developments is now. Therefore, we: 

  • Envision a process where grassroots communities of researchers and academic professionals are actively involved in progressing an Open Science future and a research system that benefits research and society as a whole.  
  • Want to facilitate and co-create a shift where research results and resources are made as available as possible and where people work together to further research and development.  
  • Want to see an Open Science system where scientific ideals and research integrity are genuinely supported and rewarded. 

Our Aims

  • Enable an active Open Science discussion on campus.  
  • Foster and facilitate Open Science practices.  
  • Be a platform for Open Science initiatives with a grassroots perspective.  
  • Be a natural discussion partner in policy making and development of infrastructure and support services.  
  • Stay curious and connected with Open Science-related initiatives and networks within and outside Umeå university and academia.  
  • Be welcoming and inclusive to all employment levels, including students, in all academic fields and research areas. 

Aim #1 Enable an active Open Science discussion on campus

To fully realize the benefits of Open Science for academia and society, it is crucial to shift the culture so that Open Science becomes simply “Science.” Open science needs to be contextualized and discussed in a way that gives people in academic and research settings a sense of agency and purpose to realize its place in society. Without this shift, Open Science risks the perception of being just another bureaucratic burden. An ongoing broad, multidisciplinary discussion giving voice to the academic grassroots community also safeguards against the possible implementation of counter-productive practices and frameworks. 

Aim #2 Foster and facilitate Open Science practices. 

Open Science is not just an idea or a policy, it is also a way to do research and academic activities in practice. The know-how and best practices are constantly evolving, and there is much to learn from each other. OSCU aims to function as a platform for exchanging ideas and experiences on how to include open science in academic and professional practice. The community also welcomes those just approaching Open Science practice to meet with more experienced peers who might have been early adopters. 

Aim #3 Be a platform for Open Science initiatives with a grassroots perspective. 

OSCU is a member-driven organisation. As such, we welcome initiatives and ideas for activities we can organise or participate in. We want to function as a platform for members to realise their Open Science related ideas and to self-create the activities and organisation we want at Umeå university at any given time. Besides creating these initiatives organically, we also aim to help provide frameworks to make concepts and ideas reality, for example guidelines for doing specific types of events and communication through our platforms. 

Aim #4 Be a natural discussion partner in policy making and development of infrastructure support services. 

OSC Umeå operates independently from institutional policy. We are a self-steering organisation and don’t receive instructions, targets, or tasks from other parties. Still, we do collaborate with other stakeholders and strive to be a discussion partner in the development of policy, infrastructure, training and institutional support – especially at Umeå university.  

  

Aim #5 Stay curious and connected with Open Science-related initiatives and networks within and outside Umeå university and academia.  

Open science is not a local affair or limited to universities and research organisations. Therefore, it is important to be curious about the world around us and to keep in touch with other initiatives and networks locally, nationally and internationally – inside and outside academic environments. 

 

Aim #6 Be welcoming and inclusive to all employment levels, including students, in all academic fields and research areas.  

We aim to be a pluralistic organisation that reflects the composition and diversity of the university. This is reflected in our strategic approach to networking and outreach, as well as in our internal structures and group culture.  

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The OSCNL Barcamp: New ideas in a historic setting

Last week, the picturesque city of Maastricht played host to the satellite event of the Open Science Festival—an unconference that brought together over 100 open science enthusiasts and professionals. Held in a venue steeped in history, with plenary sessions in an awe-inspiring aula that once served as a church, the day radiated excitement, blending tradition with the forward-looking spirit of open science.

The event started with a lively voting session, where participants pitched topics on the spot, with ideas ranging from citizen science initiatives to the integration of generative AI in research. Attendees cast their votes for the pitches that resonated with them, a total of 24 sessions were held throughout the day. Each session leader, or “chair,” was then given a dedicated classroom, where they guided deep dives into their chosen topic, sparking discussions and collecting fresh perspectives.

Here’s a glimpse at the session topics:

  • Using generative AI for research summaries
  • Designing an open access game called ‘Legacy’
  • Bridging the gap between researchers and data professionals
  • Citizen science
  • How to get institutional support
  • Creating a knowledge base for the open science communities (OSCs)

The aim of these session is for the community to continue to work on these projects. Participation after the Barcamp is also open for people that did not attend the Barcamp. You can explore all sessions in this Etherpad (Open Source alternative for Google Docs).

This diverse lineup of sessions allowed participants to explore new ideas and challenges in open science, each conversation contributing to our collective efforts.

The unconference format was perfectly suited to foster collaboration, allowing attendees to build on each other’s ideas, challenge assumptions, and propose novel solutions. This free-flowing structure allowed every participant to feel not just included but integral to the day’s outcome, giving rise to new collaborations and projects that extended well beyond the walls of the conference rooms.

As the day wound down, everyone gathered in the main hall for well-deserved pizza, where conversations continued to flow, and connections were solidified. This informal closing was a fitting end to a day rooted in spontaneity, creativity, and shared passion.

The barcamp proved that moving open science forward isn’t just about technology or tools—it’s about people coming together, sharing visions, and building a community committed to a future where knowledge is open and accessible to all. So be on the lookout and be sure to join next year’s barcamp!

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