Publication of the results of a survey that show Science Europe members’ strong commitment to open science
Science Europe has published a report providing a descriptive analysis of the role currently played by its members, public funding agencies and research organisations from 29 European countries in the changing landscape of open science and research assessment reform.
As set out in its direction paper on open science, Science Europe has broadened its objectives to comprehensively deal with open science policies. Alongside its involvement in open science, Science Europe has also published its recommendations on research assessment which are in line with the Coalition for the Advancement of Research Assessment‘s stated objectives.
The analysis presented in this report is based on the results of a survey of Science Europe members’ strategic approaches to open science and the emphasis put on open science in their research assessment activities. The survey also aimed to link open science and research assessment to thus identify shared opportunities and challenges moving forward.
The survey was run between March and June 2024. A total of 36 Science Europe members (out of 40) responded to the survey. These were mostly funding agencies or organisations combing funding and research roles (Figure 1).
Figure 1: Which of the following most effectively describes your organisation?
Source : Figure 1 – Responding organisations. Reproduced from « Strategic Approaches to, and Research Assessment of, Open Science », par Morris, J., & Saenen, B., 2024, p. 7. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13961124
Almost all responding members reported having a documented strategic approach to open science, with one exception indicating plans to develop such an approach in the future (see figure 2). Regarding the elements of open science integrated into strategic approaches, these include traditional elements like open access but also a wider range of topics (Figure 3) including, for example, commitment to the FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) principles, open research data and software, open infrastructures, citizen science and research assessment that favours open science.
Figure 2: Does your organisation have a documented strategic approach to open science? (Several answers possible)
Source : Figure 2 – Documented strategic approaches to open science (multiple choice). Reproduced from « Strategic Approaches to, and Research Assessment of, Open Science », par Morris, J., & Saenen, B., 2024, p. 8. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13961124
Figure 3: Which elements of open science are included in your organisation’s documented strategic approach? (Several answers possible)
Source: Figure 3 – Elements of open science included in strategic approaches (multiple choice). Reproduced from « Strategic Approaches to, and Research Assessment of, Open Science », par Morris, J., & Saenen, B., 2024, p. 9. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13961124
The respondents were found to associate open science with the quality and integrity of research and to consider it beneficial for the community. In most cases, the adoption of an open science strategy was found to be an initiative taken by the responding agencies and organisations themselves. However, the impetus of new national and international policies was found to play an important role, particularly through the adoption of updated policies by Science Europe members. Financial constraints and concerns about the impact on researchers and their careers were often cited among the challenges respondents encountered in the development and implementation phases of open science.
Open science has largely been integrated into the assessment criteria used for funding projects (Figure 4) although more heterogeneous practices have been observed in the assessment of researchers’ work and careers (Figure 5). Further study is required to determine whether this reflects deliberate actions or simply varying levels of maturity in taking open science fully into account in assessment.
More traditional elements of open science like open access and the FAIRisation of data were found to predominate in project assessments although a broader variety of open science aspects are taken into account for researchers’ career files. ‘Narrative CV’ type approaches are often used to manage to include a wider range of practices. Researchers involved in assessment processes are provided with support and guides. Most respondents said they think they will have to review their assessment strategy in the future to put this up to speed with progress achieved by CoARA.
Figure 4: Does your organisation currently include the implementation of one or more aspects of open science among the required commitments for funded projects?
Source: Figure 9 – The inclusion of open science as part of funding requirements for funded projects? Reproduce from« Strategic Approaches to, and Research Assessment of, Open Science », par Morris, J., & Saenen, B., 2024, p. 14. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13961124
Figure 5: Does your organisation currently include open science or any aspects of OS among the assessment criteria for researchers?
Source: Figure 13 – The inclusion of open science as part of the track-record assessments of researchers. Reproduce from « Strategic Approaches to, and Research Assessment of, Open Science », par Morris, J., & Saenen, B., 2024, p. 18. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13961124
Finally, the survey results showed that a significant majority of the respondents possess mechanisms for monitoring open science or plan to develop these in the future (Figure 6).
Figure 6: Does your organisation possess an open science monitoring mechanism applied to results of research it funded and/or research results produced by affiliated researchers?
Source: Figure 17 – Open science monitoring mechanism in place. Reproduce from « Strategic Approaches to, and Research Assessment of, Open Science », par Morris, J., & Saenen, B., 2024, p. 22. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13961124
When we examine just what is being monitored, we generally find the familiar pattern of mostly focusing on monitoring open access to publications and data, while other aspects of open science are taken into account less. Currently Science Europe members are not very involved in studies for the impact of open science with any monitoring and study of this impact mainly being carried out at national level. The report’s authors indicate that the international dimension could be explored further in future in connection with the Open Science Monitoring Initiative (OSMI) and the Global Research Initiative on Open Science (GRIOS). These two initiatives were launched by the French Committee for Open Science (please see here and here). Most survey respondents said they give open access to the research information they produce in compliance with the Barcelona Declaration on the openness of research information which was of course signed by the Committee for Open Science,
The survey represents the first step in a process of consultation with Science Europe members intended to lead to the development of strategic recommendations on how funding agencies and research organisations can help open science and research assessment progress. The results of this survey have also led to an opportunity for exchange with other agencies and organisations further abroad than Europe alone to work on aligning open science strategies globally. Science Europe will use these survey results to promote the importance of open science and assessment reform in the research and innovation policies or organisations like CoARA, the European Research Area, and the Global Research Council.
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