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Long abstract:

In recent science policy, a curious phenomenon can be observed, manifesting in robust narratives envisioning the future societal landscape:

"The year is 2030. Open Science has become a reality, offering a myriad of new, boundless opportunities for research and global discovery. Scientists, citizens, publishers, research institutions, public and private research funders, students, education professionals, and companies from around the globe converge in an open, virtual environment named 'The Lab.'"

(Reference: European Union, 2016, "Open Innovation, Open Science, Open to the World")

The curiosity surrounding these expectations arises when we consider that science is a social system inherently grounded in openness, with this characteristic embedded in its DNA like perhaps no other social system. Therefore, there is an ironic aspect to such calls. How is it possible that science, a social system historically characterized by open communication, is today confronted by such calls? In my presentation, I will argue that the recent conceptualization of openness in science policy is a result of how the idea of openness traversed different domains of scientific and non-scientific knowledge production. Originating in modern science, the concept journeyed into other realms of non-scientific knowledge, underwent transformations in meaning, and demonstrated influence in those fields. Returning from domains of non-scientific knowledge production, openness re-enters science, perceived as external expectations that only partially align.