What is Open Science? And how can it solve society's complex problems? The Unit's Area Director FCCN, João Mendes Moreira, answers these and other questions, taking stock of the state of implementation of policies, structures and good practices. In an interview, João Mendes Moreira also details some of the main achievements resulting from the efforts made in the area of Open Science, highlighting the various projects and services of the FCCN Unit linked to it.
What is Open Science and what is its importance in the current context of scientific research?
There are several definitions of open science. The one I usually use, because it is comprehensive and easy to convey, is the following: "Open Science is scientific activity practiced in an open, collaborative and transparent way, in all fields of knowledge, from fundamental sciences to social sciences and humanities".
The importance of Open Science, in the context of current scientific research, has been growing for several reasons. On the one hand, because it has the potential to increase the quality, impact and benefits of science and to accelerate the advancement of knowledge, making it more reliable, more efficient and more accurate. On the other hand, because it makes science more understandable by society, enables better responses to societal challenges, and encourages the development of quality in the scientific assessment process.
What are some practical applications of these principles? And what direct impact do they have on the day-to-day lives of scientists?
The practice of open science implies not only that research results be made available without access restrictions, but also that the research process itself be open, using methods, tools, and workflows that facilitate sharing, reuse, and collaboration.
In the past, when Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) were non-existent, research was concentrated in a scientific publication. ICT made it possible to deconstruct research results and processes. Today it is possible to publish not only the results of scientific research but also all the artifacts that gave rise to it, such as laboratory notes, data sets, or software used in data processing.
It is also possible to do this sharing throughout the research process, not just after the research is "finished". This approach makes it possible, among other benefits, to receive comments and suggestions throughout the research process, to allow other researchers to reproduce the research, and not least to reuse components developed by others, thus increasing the transparency and efficiency of the process. I often jokingly say that Open Science is LEGO Science.
An incontrovertible proof of the benefits of research based on the Open Science paradigm was the use of this paradigm to solve the societal emergencies caused by the pandemic. In fact, never in the history of mankind has so much knowledge about a subject been produced and shared in such a short period of time. It should be noted that scientific publishers have also participated in this effort by providing not only open access to content on this topic, but also by implementing fast peer review mechanisms.
Given this success, the question is: how can it be justified not to also make cancer or cardiovascular disease research freely accessible? Beyond the health domain, Open Science and responsible research and innovation will be instrumental in identifying other societal challenges in areas such as food, agriculture and forestry, and water; secure, clean, and efficient energy; smart, green, and integrated transportation; climate action, environment, and resources; and the security of societies.
The concept has been gaining special notoriety over the last decade. Do you feel that there are already important achievements that have been secured? Which ones?
I consider that significant progress has been made. However, the notoriety of open science is not homogeneous, as it depends on several factors such as the stage of adoption, the dimension under analysis (open access, open data, open software, etc), the scientific domain or geography.
If we consider three possible stages: awareness/evangelization, adoption, and consolidation, I can state that open science, as an overarching concept, is finishing the awareness and evangelization stage. This statement is supported by the recent adoption of the UNESCO recommendation on Open Science which has been endorsed by 193 countries.
In terms of the stage of implementation, there are dimensions that are at a stage of consolidation, particularly the dimension of open access to scientific publications, while others, such as research data, are at a stage of implementation. In this regard, I would like to mention that the European Commission now requires, in the current community support framework, the availability of data resulting from funded research. These data should respect the FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) rules.
There are scientific domains that are at more advanced stages and where open science is already the rule of doing and communicating science. This is the case, for example, in physics or astronomy.
An Open Science ecosystem requires the creation of various mechanisms and structures. What work has the FCCN Unit been doing in this regard?
The Unit FCCN focuses on two of the most important dimensions of open science: scientific publications and research data. The figure below shows the various activities being carried out. In addition to the dimensions mentioned above, the FCCN Unit is working on providing a directory of journals and repositories and has maintained the ptcris.pt program since 2014, which aims to promote interoperability between the various science management systems.
In the field of publications, the Unit FCCN carries out three activities: b-on, PubIn and RCAAP.
b-on was launched in 2004 with the objective of promoting access to the main sources of scientific information worldwide. Through transformative agreements that will be in force from 2022 to 2024, the authors of b-on institutions will be able to publish in open access, in most of the publishers subscribed to by b-on and under the conditions contracted with each of them, at no cost.
The PubIn initiative aims to provide infrastructures and services to support national scientific journals in open access. Finally, RCAAP, an acronym for Network of Open Access Scientific Repositories, allows national educational and research institutions to maintain a repository of their scientific production.
In the field of research data, it is planned to launch the Pollen initiative this year, which will provide services for the management of research data plans as well as a repository of research data.
These infrastructures and services will support the establishment of FCT's open science policies.
What will be the Unit's most important next steps FCCN with regard to Open Science?
In general, the next steps/challenges are to change research and science communication practices. This change, to be successful, has to consider the dimensions that are represented in the following pyramid.
Infrastructures and services are needed, and they must be easy to use. The practice of Open Science should be the rule in the research community and, for that, it is fundamental that this practice is rewarding. In this regard, I would like to mention that a reform of the evaluation system is underway globally, which is expected to enhance Open Science practices.
Finally, policies are essential to make the practice of Open Science a reality. Thus, in 2022, it is planned by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), the update of the open access policy to scientific publications in order to be aligned with the S-plan, as well as the implementation of a research data policy
An example of an instantiation of this pyramid was the shift from face-to-face to virtual communication practices in the wake of the pandemic. Virtual communication was possible because tools for it existed, they were easy to use, they became the way of communication, they were rewarding because they allowed for continued work and wages, and they were mandatory because the government established confinements for a significant period of time.
The Unit FCCN will be responsible for supporting each and every layer of this pyramid. In the infrastructure component, the next steps will be to adjust / extend the portfolio of services to support the other dimensions of Open Science (e.g. open peer review, continuous publication, software repository or protocols, etc). To this end, political and budgetary support will be key to advancing the adoption and practice of open science in Portugal.
