Retain "As Open As Possible..."
An Open Letter on the importance of Open Science in the next EU framework programme for research and innovation.
We invite signatures to this letter via the comments section below.
A priority in research management and administration, as well as in conducting research itself, is effective management of resources towards specific goals; in ensuring maximum output and impact for the investment. Open Science has demonstrated itself to be an efficient resource management system, positively impacting research integrity, research impact, as well as increased quality and efficiency of implementation. Open Science (OS) plays a critical role in fostering collaboration, transparency, and equitable access to research.
In the next framework programme we therefore need to retain “as open as possible” as the default position, while at the same time understanding that we are witnessing rising geopolitical tensions and security concerns, forcing the research community to find a delicate balance between openness and safeguarding sensitive information.
We feel that this balance has not been adequately addressed in the Mission Letter for the Commissioner for Research and Startups, which focuses somewhat one sidedly on research security without references to the importance and benefits of openness in research. To a certain extent, this is also true for the recent report “Align, Act, Accelerate: Research, Technology and Innovation to boost European Competitiveness’ from the European Commission Expert Group.
In response we would like to highlight the continuing importance of the principle of “as open as possible, as closed as necessary”, which has evolved as an acknowledgement that not all research can be shared openly (due to security, IPR and personal data concerns) but that open science principles should remain the default modus operandi. When data or other outputs cannot be shared this needs to be duly justified. This principle already underpins research data sharing in Horizon Europe and in the European Open Science Cloud, and needs to be retained in the next framework programme.
We would also like to underline the importance of openness for international collaboration, evidenced inter alia in the UNESCO’s Recommendation on Open Science. For example, looking beyond the Global North to Africa and Latin America, Open Science provides opportunities for enhanced access to publications and greater collaboration. However, at the same time researchers in lower-income countries face disproportionate burdens in implementing OS practices due to limited resources and infrastructure. These challenges are compounded by the complexities of navigating international collaborations where security concerns and intellectual property protections differ widely across borders. We therefore need to work towards more – and not less – openness in our international collaborations with our trusted friends and partners around the globe.
Open Science remains vital in addressing global challenges such as climate change, public health crises, and technological innovation. Equally, the evolving geopolitical landscape has made it clear that OS must adapt to mitigate the risks of undesirable knowledge transfer, foreign interference, malign use, and potential ethical violations. In order to do so, we need more - not less - support for open science, e.g. through a dedicated Science with and for Society programme in FP 10 to develop flexible, context-sensitive solutions that can accommodate these diverse political, economic, and security contexts.
We invite signatures to this letter via the comments section below.
Initial Signatories:
Lindsay Dowling, Open Research Support Unit Lead, Technological University Dublin
Daniel Spichtinger, Programme Manager Grant Strategy & Policy, Ludwig Boltmann Gesellschaft
Dr Cem Birol, Research Data Coordinator, Koç University
Jan Andersen, Senior Executive Advisor, Faculty Sciences, University of Southern Denmark
Dr Tiberius Ignat, SKS Knowledge Services
Liise Lehtsalu, Senior Science Officer, Research Data Alliance Association (RDA Europe)
Monique Horstmann, Project Coordinator, CSSM, University of Helsinki
Eva Casamitjana, Scientific Coordinator, ISGlobal
Núria Benítez Monforte, Open Science Officer, ICERCA
Simon Kerridge, Kerridge Research Consulting
Dr John Donovan, Head of Research, Technological University Dublin