Short abstract

The purpose of this study is to understand European enablers and inhibitors in the adoption of open science practices in university research teams. Our results provide directions on how renew European, national, and university-level open science policies, funding programmes, and services.

Long abstract

Open science practices led to the development of European, national, and university-level initiatives, policies, and funding mandates during the last decade. However, there is a lack of empirical studies investigating how these open science policies, programmes, and actions have affected and impacted the everyday work of university researchers. The purpose of this study is to understand and identify European enablers and inhibitors in the adoption of open science practices in university research teams. We conducted a cross-country qualitative comparative case study of 70 research teams from across 7 European Universities, at the newly established European University Alliance: Unite!. Our research shows how the development of research collaborative networks for the sharing and production of knowledge, capacity building for an open science mindset, data management, and novel knowledge-broker competencies and skills, transnational collaboration in significant infrastructures or digital services are key enablers in the adoption. Our research also reveals inhibitors encountered in university research teams that are intrinsic in the lack of alignment among university, national and European guidelines and standards, the costs associated with open science, the lack of incentives at university-level and national research assessment, and the harmonisation among open science and innovation policies. Our results provide insights and directions on how to shape, rethink, and renew university, national, and European level open science policies, funding programmes, and university services to ensure a successful transition from modern science to open science in Europe by 2030. Moreover, we contribute by expanding the academic foundations on open science management and policy.

Short abstract

The Aligning Science Across Parkinson’s (ASAP) initiative supports a robust Open Science Policy and Compliance Workflow. Through this effort, between 60-84% of datasets, analysis scripts, protocols, and key lab materials from ASAP-funded studies are openly shared.

Long abstract

Sharing of research data, code, protocols, and lab materials remains limited and, in turn, undermines the cumulative nature of scientific discovery. The Aligning Science Across Parkinson’s (ASAP) initiative developed a thorough Open Science Policy and Compliance Workflow aimed to increase the deposition and unambiguous identification of data, code, protocols, and key lab materials (e.g., cell lines, antibodies) used and generated in the research we fund.

The policy requires grantees to post preprints, share a manuscript draft with ASAP staff, deposit all research outputs, and unambiguously identify all research inputs. The workflow is executed by an ASAP staff member who integrates automated and manual assessments to provide a grantee with systematic feedback outlining the actions required to align their manuscript draft with the ASAP Open Science Policy.

To facilitate this workflow, grantees share each manuscript alongside a Key Resource Table which lists persistent identifiers for the associated datasets, code, software, protocols, and key lab materials. When collated, these Key Resource Tables produce a near-comprehensive log of all the inputs and outputs from the research we fund.

Of 72 ASAP-funded articles published in 2024, between 60-84% of newly-generated datasets, analysis scripts, protocols, and key lab materials were shared. 97% of publications had an associated preprint. Preprints were posted a median of 3.5 days (IQR: -10 to 70) before manuscript submission, and 204 days (IQR: 118 to 314) before manuscript publication.

This talk will outline lessons learned and propose how funders, institutions, publishers, and researchers can align to accelerate scientific discovery.