Driving Open Science to meet evolving research needs

The current shift in academia highlights and accelerates the need for embracing Open Science practices. SciLifeLab recognises these evolving changes as both a challenge and an opportunity. Our newly launched SciLifeLab Open Science Team is committed to developing practical approaches that enable our research community, and infrastructure, to share and manage research outputs effectively, while aligning with Open Science and FAIR principles.

In recent years, stakeholders across the research ecosystem, including funders, governmental organisations, universities, have increasingly embraced Open Science and FAIR principles. While many funder and organisations have already implemented mandatory open access policies, others are moving in the same direction. Horizon Europe, for example, mandates open access to research outputs, while the Wellcome Trust, Aligning Science Across Parkinson’s, and others are in the process of refining policies to promote transparency, and accessibility. On a national level, the Swedish guidelines on Open Science, published by the National Library of Sweden, sets similar expectations.

Concurrently, research assessment is evolving to recognise the full range of research contributions, from data and software to other research outputs. This evolution underpins initiatives such as the Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA), seeking to ensure that researchers and institutions are evaluated based on the full spectrum of their scholarly work, rather than solely on traditional publications.

SciLifeLab Forms CoARA Working Group and Joins National Chapter >>

In response to these evolving needs, SciLifeLab is excited to announce the launch of the Open Science Team. The team is dedicated to advancing Open Science and FAIR principles at SciLifeLab by, for example, fostering community engagement, offering guidance, and providing practical resources. The work of the team aligns with SciLifeLab’s mission to enable groundbreaking research by promoting open data, reproducibility, and knowledge sharing.

“Our focus is on integrating Open Science practices into SciLifeLab’s infrastructure, ensuring that researchers have the tools and support to meet funder requirements while making their work more discoverable and impactful. Our aim is to empower researchers to fully leverage the potential of their data” says Christopher Erdmann, Head of SciLifeLab’s newly formed Open Science Team.

Looking ahead, the development of data and software services aligned with the FAIR principles, the advancement of semantic research software technologies, and the cultivation of collaborative networks will be key drivers of this transformation. The Open Science Team also emphasizes the critical role of communities of practice—bringing researchers together to address shared challenges—as a catalyst for innovation and enhanced collaboration.

On April 3, the Open Science Team hosted an event focusing on Navigating Open Science Policies – Practical Guidance for Researchers on Sharing Data and Software, co-hosted with PLOS, which offered valuable tools and strategies for ensuring compliance and promoting Open Science practices in a way that is both manageable and impactful. Recordings and slides from additional events like How a Community of Practice can support your research with Michael J. Fox Foundation can be found at the Data management seminar series page.