Research in practice
Four research environments excel in Open Science
The Danish Centre for Rural Research, the SDU Centre for Energy Informatics, the Centre for Public Health in Greenland, and Chemistry and Pharmacy recently received awards for their work to make research articles and research data as available as possible to people who can use the research in practice.
Many research environments are already working systematically with open access to research articles and dissemination. Similarly, the implementation of the revised Open Science policy from 2024 is in full swing.
Nearly all departments now have an approved implementation plan to ensure increased focus on transparent research data and data management, among other things. Read more about SDU’s Open Science policy
Commended for their efforts
To showcase SDU’s accomplishments in Open Science, four research environments have recently been commended for their exceptional skill in transforming policy into practice.
- It has been important for us to bring the Open Science policy to life so that it’s not just another piece of paper lying in the back of a drawer. That’s why we have introduced the Open Science Champion Award, which celebrates research groups that excel in the field of Open Science, explains Anne Thorst Melbye, Head of the Department of Research Documentation at the University Library of Southern Denmark.
She continues:
- Each of this year’s winners have delivered exemplary results in their fields in terms of publishing their research articles with Open Access and their commitment to sharing their research data.
The award winners are
The four winners of this year’s Open Science Champion Award at SDU are:
The Danish Centre for Rural Research, the SDU Centre for Energy Informatics, the Centre for Public Health in Greenland, and Chemistry and Pharmacy at the Department of Physics, Chemistry and Pharmacy.
The recipients were delighted to have been awarded the Open Science honour:
Egon Noe, professor and head of the Danish Centre for Rural Research, says:
- We are very pleased and proud to have received the Open Science Champion Award and to be recognised for our endeavours to put the results of our research into practice. It is becoming increasingly important that our work is visible and accessible if we are to maintain broad societal support as a research centre and as a university, he says and elaborates:
- At the Danish Centre for Rural Research, we are very conscious of this in our daily work. In the same way, we are uncompromising in our pursuit of quality and the international recognition of our research.
At the award ceremony, Professor Bo Nørregaard Jørgensen from the SDU Centre for Energy Informatics also emphasised the importance of working with Open Science. He said:
- It’s a privilege to work at a Danish university which provides access to almost all academic publication databases. Many researchers – even in Europe – don’t have the same opportunities. But research has no boundaries and should be shared widely. Open Science and Open Access enable the dissemination of knowledge and research and contribute to creating added value in society.
What have the four award winners done well?
- Quite simply, the award winners have succeeded in achieving their goals of creating transparency in their research and the publication of their research by registering all of it in Pure. As well as this, the winners themselves emphasise that they can feel the effects of their efforts in Open Science. Their research is brought to life, they find collaborators more easily and obtain more citations, explains Anne Thorst Melbye from the University Library of Southern Denmark.
The next steps
The next focus point in the continued implementation of Open Science practices at SDU is to increase the focus on research data and data management.
- We would love to help raise awareness among researchers about data, metadata, data management and how to digitise research data, even when the data is a collection of stones or historical books. That’s why we are currently visiting all of SDU’s campuses to give presentations and workshops on how researchers and SDU can take the next steps in Open Science, explains Anne Thorst Melbye from the University Library of Southern Denmark.
Would your research group also like to get a better handle on how to make your research articles and research data more available to people who can use your research in practice?
If so, please email Pure-support@bib.sdu.dk