NORF welcomes funding announcement for open research
Ireland’s National Open Research Forum (NORF) welcomes the funding announcement from the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Simon Harris, of €1.725 million through the Higher Education Authority (HEA) to support the uptake and implementation of open research practices in Irish higher education institutions and the wider Irish research system. The funding announced today will support the work of NORF and has been allocated to the Digital Repository of Ireland (DRI) to distribute to key initiatives identified by NORF. Open research practices promote transparency and collaboration in the research process and enable public access to research outputs.
NORF has been working with key members of the research community to drive Ireland’s open research agenda as set out in Innovation 2020, Ireland’s strategy for research and development, science and technology. Following the publication of the National Framework on the Transition to an Open Research Environment in 2019, NORF has developed a Landscape Report and a series of policy briefs that provide a comprehensive snapshot of the current state of open research in Ireland. These publications reflect the findings of five NORF Working Groups, created to target five strategic areas: open access to research publications; enabling FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) data and other research outputs; infrastructures for access to and preservation of research; skills and competencies; and incentives and rewards. The working groups are composed of experts from Ireland’s higher education, research and library communities, and are led by Dr Daniel Bangert, Ireland’s National Open Research Coordinator at the Digital Repository of Ireland.
The Landscape Report and policy briefs also signpost areas in which Ireland can make rapid progress towards improving the openness and accessibility of research processes and outputs and the funding being announced today targets those areas. Initial areas for progress include strengthening infrastructures for open access, support for data stewardship, improving staff and student training in open research, and planning for the fundamental structures required to underpin and foster a culture of open research. This work will also inform a National Action Plan for Open Research due to be published later this year.
Ireland’s plans for open science are well aligned with the recommendations of organisations including the European Commission and UNESCO, which note the potential of open science to reduce inequalities and increase scientific cooperation through rapid and transparent knowledge sharing. Open science brings knowledge created in Ireland to the world stage and demonstrates the quality of our higher education, research, and innovation to a wider audience.
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Contact for further information: Dr Daniel Bangert, National Open Research Coordinator
Press release from Ireland’s Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science:
Minister Harris welcomes €1.7 million funding for Ireland’s open research transition: “Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Simon Harris, has today announced funding of €1.725 million to support the uptake and implementation of open research practices in Irish higher education institutions and the wider Irish research system.” Read more.
Related items:
New funding of €1.725 million positions Ireland to lead in open research (Digital Repository of Ireland)
