Open science – this term refers to an approach to science that promotes transparency and open access to scientific data, results, materials and software code.
In an interview with the European Research Council magazine, Toma Susi, associate professor at the Faculty of Physics at the University of Vienna, describes how both society and science benefit from this approach, but also the challenges of pursuing it.
Susi, who received an ERC Starting Grant for his research in 2017, talks about the tendencies of the current science system that he views as problematic – such as the fact that results from publicly funded research often remain behind paywalls of large scholarly publishing houses. Another problem is that results of other scientists cannot be verified because researchers lack access to data and supporting material. Open science is offering solutions to these problems and helps strengthening trust in science. Susi also calls for researchers to change their mentality in this regard, especially when it comes to evaluating others’ work based on its intrinsic merits, not where it is published.
The University of Vienna actively supports researchers in making their data accessible – for example in institutional or discipline-specific repositories. Good research data management (RDM) is a precondition for this. In its recently adopted RDM Policy, the University has defined the corresponding framework. With a new RDM website (including an overview of the services offered) and a central contact point for RDM questions, researchers at the University of Vienna are to be supported in the best possible way.