The new unit was created with the aim of fostering the application of Open Science as an element of success and quality of academic activities at SUPSI.
The concept of Open Science is not new in the world of science, but in recent years it is emerging as a profound cultural change for researchers. This term describes initiatives that promote open science, i.e., accessible to all, and that aim to strengthen the effectiveness, transparency, and reproducibility of scientific research in the long run. Under the concept of Open Science fall the shared use of research data (Open Data), open access to scientific publications (Open Access), Open Innovation, Citizen Science, and Open Education. Elements that go to make up a paradigm shift that wants participatory and shared scientific research to produce more tangible effects on society. This is a paradigm shift that implies redefining the work of the researcher, who must be supported and accompanied in the integration of this new approach.
To support the transition to a new model of science, SUPSI has decided to create the Open Science Competence Center, whose activities will be coordinated by Massimiliano Cannata, professor of Geomatics and head of this new center.
Why is it important to move toward Open Science?
"The global challenges that are characterizing this historical moment require global responses: we need to collaborate as much as possible and make knowledge as open as possible so that science can have a positive impact on the evolution of our society and our planet. That is why it is increasingly important to produce open science. When we talk about open science, we talk about sharing. The scientific process must be open, shared, and repeatable to ensure that science is transparent and credible to society. This approach also allows other researchers or companies to access knowledge, experiment and evolve in knowledge."
What will you do within this new Competence Center?
"Many universities have addressed the issue by developing distributed expertise. SUPSI has decided to concentrate them in one place. In the Open Science Competence Center we will closely follow the evolution of technologies and methodologies related to open science; therefore, an important aspect will be research. We will also offer accompanying services to the institution so that it integrates these methodologies. Finally, we will also carry out training activities aimed at our researchers and doctoral students, but also at the local area".
What areas will you focus on?
"Initially we will focus on Open Access, that is, publications that need to be open. Other areas include Open Data, Citizen Science and Open Innovation. We will also need to work on IT infrastructure and open collaborative processes. A final point concerns Open Education, with the openness of content and methodologies related to teaching".
There are already research projects going in this direction, but it is easy to see that for researchers to embrace Open Science will be a challenge.
"Doing Open Science means profoundly changing one's perspective on research: changing methodology, changing approach, and thinking about the success of science rather than personal success to ensure a strong impact. Today, for example, the researcher also takes on the role of knowledge disseminator for society. Doing Open Science is not an immediate step, but the joint effort will surely produce very positive impacts".