'This was the closest to an in-person meeting that's actually a virtual meeting I experience, and about a topic close to my heart: open science. Thumbs up!’
'A good opportunity to step back and get multiple perspectives on an important issue that impacts everyone engaged all aspects of scientific research.’
‘Valuable, informative and educative’
In order to advance the impact of science and address global challenges, timely access to credible information sources is imperative. Concealing knowledge behind subscription paywalls can stand as a roadblock towards advancements in innovation, research quality, integrity, efficiency, social welfare, and public trust and engagement.
While many libraries in the wealthiest universities are able to arm their academics with subscriptions to a wide range of journals and thereby lessening the need for Open Access, certain stakeholder groups continue to lack access such as institutions with limited resources, and those outside of academia such as civil servants looking to construct evidence-based policies, communicators seeking to share the latest scientific findings, businesses looking to drive innovation using academic knowledge.
In the past few years, different initiatives and projects are calling for more and more publicly funded research to be published under an open license, matters of access are steadily being addressed. Moving towards open practices in science has no doubt led to efficiency in information-sharing, the democratisation of access to knowledge, and the involvement of the wider public in scientific discourse. Yet, it must not be overlooked that the priority to make research findings available openly and quickly — such as through preprint servers — may come at the cost of quality, having not undergone stringent peer-review, and potentially (and inadvertantly) promote misinformation.
Furthermore, geopolitical elements have exerted a more pronounced influence on open science than previously experienced. Geopolitical tensions or diplomatic conflicts between countries can hinder scientific collaboration with restrictions on travel, trade, or sharing of information, impeding the free flow of knowledge and collaboration among scientists across borders. Concerns about national security, intellectual property rights, or political agendas may also lead to limitations on sharing sensitive research findings or data, affecting the principles of Open Science. Additionally, differing regulations among countries can also create challenges for researchers in adhering to varying ethical standards, legal frameworks, or compliance requirements. However, at the same time, they also stimulate opportunities for collaboration, innovation, resource allocation, and international agreements that contribute positively to scientific progress and knowledge dissemination.
We look forward to welcoming you to this conference, where experts involved in Open Science initiatives will create insights on responsible practices in Open Science and Research, and explore strategies for open access, data, education, and beyond.
Some of the topics that we will explore include:
- Open Science for societal good
- Incentivisation strategies & policies that may be put in place to stimulate Open Science
- Safe spaces to facilitate open scientific discourse in academia, and between academics and other stakeholder groups
- Examining geopolotical implications of global policies for access to scholarly publications and research data: Relationships with China
- Open Science policies and practices to foster public trust and understanding in science
- Next steps towards effective knowledge exchange in an international open science landscape
