NISO/ICSTI Joint Webinar: A Pathway from Open Access and Data Sharing to Open Science in Practice

Introduction

Introduction and Moderator

Pathways to Open Science

The technological revolution of recent decades has produced an unprecedented explosion in the human capacity to acquire, store and manipulate data and information and to instantaneously communicate them globally, irrespective of location. It is a world historical event that has already created major changes in societies and economies, which also offers great challenges and opportunities for science. It challenges a principle, concurrent publication of concept and evidence that has been the bedrock of scientific progress in the modern era. But it also offers new opportunities for scientific discovery; novel possibilities for commercial innovation; greater involvement of a wider range of stakeholders and citizens in co-production of knowledge; and a deeper democratic engagement with the ways that scientific knowledge is created and used. Moreover, open data and open science are important issues for democracy and the future of an open society. Science must be a public and not a private enterprise that is conducted behind closed laboratory doors.

There are four vital, practical challenges in moving towards a truly open science that exploits the potential of the digital world and addresses fundamental problems of a world in transition. The first is to the professional science system in developing new technical solutions for presenting, sharing and analysing data, addressing the challenge of machine learning and changing the habits and norms of researchers and their institutions. The second is moving beyond disciplinary siloes to greater cross-disciplinary linking of data and analysis. The third is “trans-disciplinary” opening to a wider range of stakeholders in processes of joint knowledge creation. And the fourth is ensuring that an open science system is a truly global enterprise, not only embracing high income, but also low- and medium-income countries, for we will only be successful in addressing global problems if there is global involvement. 

From Open Access to Open Science: A Vision

Within the open science debate, the European Commission acts as both a policy maker and a research funder. As policy maker, it works with the Member States to co-ordinate national policies on access to and preservation of scientific information. As a research funder, it sets rules on open access and open research data in Horizon 2020. This presentation will give an overview of the Commission's vision and work regarding open access to scientific publications and open research data, and will put it into the broader context of the emerging policy work on open