As part of its commitment to join the conversation on Open Science and to advance the Open Research Information agenda, the Coimbra Group Executive Board is launching a new series of articles that will regularly offer perspectives from academics at Coimbra Group Universities on key issues connected to the ongoing cultural transformation towards Open Research Information. 

In this first article of this series, Dr Ana Ranitovic, Chief of Open Science at the University of Groningen (UG), delves into the strategy developed by the UG for engaging the research community as driver of the transition to Open Research Information. She discusses some of the challenges they have faced and the steps they are taking in order to move from commitment to action.

Introduction

At the University of Groningen (UG), we are actively advancing the transition toward open research information (ORI), in line with the principles of the Barcelona Declaration. Conversations with other signatory institutions have highlighted that we are all progressing at different paces. Our current focus is creating broad support for the transformation and engaging the academic community, alongside making necessary policy changes. In this article, I will present one of our key strategies for fostering such engagement, discuss some of the challenges we have faced, and the steps we are taking.

Moving From Commitment to Action

Signing the Barcelona Declaration sparked great enthusiasm at the UG, as it has in many signatory institutions. However, despite broad support, we have also encountered some resistance, largely due to the uncertainty surrounding the steps needed to make this shift a reality. Although in principle everyone agrees that we should make the shift to ORI, the practicalities of this transition can lead to hesitation. This is not at all unusual: as Brian Nosek highlighted in his text on culture change, when we are faced with disruptive transformation, the status quo can feel safer and easier simply because its problems are familiar.

Different stakeholder groups have different concerns. Support professionals, for instance, focus on minimizing disruption to the services they manage, while research managers may worry about how new evaluation metrics might impact their faculties and researchers. These and other questions which have been raised by key stakeholders are valid concerns. At the Paris Conference on Open Research Information, we discussed some of these questions and developed a roadmap to help us work them out, together. However, the key question we face at the University of Groningen right now is: how do we shift the mindset of key stakeholders so that we prioritize finding these solutions at our institution? In other words, how do we move from commitment to action?

Empowering Academics to Drive Change

One major strategy is to involve the research community in shaping and implementing policies. The voices of researchers and educators carry significant weight and it is vital that they are in dialogue with both policy-makers and the people implementing the changes. I would like to highlight three recent examples of involvement at the UG, at different levels.

● A task force composed of academics from the Young Academy Groningen (YAG) and the Open Science Community Groningen (OSCG), which initiated a dialogue with the University Board, advocating for stronger institutional commitment to the principles of the Barcelona Declaration. The task force’s evidence-based approach and direct involvement helped push the conversation forward, and strengthened the University’s dedication to ORI principles, even after we had signed the Declaration.

● An inter-faculty network of Open Science Ambassadors - academics which act as a bridge between the Open Science Programme and their respective communities and faculty boards, This network ensures that information and ideas flow freely, and helps to maintain momentum in our transition efforts. The involvement of the Open Science Ambassadors is central to spreading awareness, addressing concerns, and encouraging faculty-wide participation in open science initiatives.

● A third, and most recent example is the integration of the research community into our Open Science Programme. This has been done at both the level of steering - by including academics in the Programme’s Steering Committee, and at the implementation level, where we will work to ensure that the academic community acts as a key pillar of the programme.

Structuring Our Open Science Programme Around Academics

The Open Science Programme (OSP) is a key component of the UG’s overall strategy, with the goal of embedding open science into the fabric of our institution’s research and education culture. The programme is guided by the University Board, alongside a Steering Committee of deans, service directors, and academics. As we move into the second phase of the OSP, we are prioritizing culture change and transformation. To facilitate this, we have added the academic community as a sixth pillar of the programme structure, led by the Open Science Community Groningen (OSCG). This ensures that the community can provide input and act as a sounding board for the research and education support professionals responsible for executing the transition. Their involvement strengthens collaboration across the institution and helps align practical implementation with the needs and insights of the academic community. By keeping researchers and educators close to the decision-making and implementation processes, we remain focused on the bigger picture. We hope that this approach will also help us address day-to-day challenges as they arise, by reminding us why we are committed to open research information and open science in the first place.

Key Takeaways and Moving Forward

To sum up, engaging the academic community is proving to be a crucial element in our transition toward open research information at UG. By addressing concerns, empowering researchers and educators to take an active role, and leveraging existing networks such as the YAG, OSCG, and Open Science Ambassadors, we are working to foster a collaborative environment that supports the transition, even in the face of challenges and uncertainties. I hope the strategies we have implemented can be helpful for other institutions working toward similar goals. We are always eager to learn from different approaches to the challenges and look forward to further discussions on how we can collectively drive the transition to open research information.

Thank you for reading, and please feel free to get in touch if you have any questions or ideas you would like to discuss!