Conference: Ideas Lab: Broadening Participation in Open Science

The scientific community is undergoing a significant shift, moving from a traditionally closed framework to one that embraces open science. Open science refers to increasing transparency of research processes and outputs, sharing of research outputs, and increasing inclusion of all stakeholders to the scientific process. However, as with any transformative change, there is a risk that the benefits of open science will be realized by only a subset of the research community.

Researchers from under-resourced or underserved communities face several barriers to participating in open science, including limited access to the tools and technologies supporting open science, insufficient availability of training and education services for adopting open science practices, and the need for technologies and resources to be adapted for specific research communities and methodologies. Additionally, fostering norms and communities of practice in underserved institutions and research areas is a significant challenge.

The open science movement has made major strides in transforming research practices and promoting greater transparency, accessibility, and collaboration across the scientific community. While the long-term impacts of open science are challenging to measure and will take time to fully observe, there is growing evidence of the movement’s success at the individual practice level.

Even so, there are significant risks that the rapid transformation toward open science may not benefit all researchers equally. For example, many open science initiatives and policies come with administrative burdens for implementation. Highly resourced research universities often have the administrative infrastructure and budgets to address these burdens, while less-resourced institutions may struggle.

Additionally, many open science practices require specialized experience and expertise, adding another layer of resource demand. For the open science movement to truly fulfill its promise, it must equip every part of the research community to conduct high-quality transparent and open research.

This project aims to address these challenges by organizing an intense, multi-day workshop that brings together representatives from a broad array of research institutions. The goal of the proposed Ideas Lab is to ensure that the changing infrastructure, norms, and rewards promoting open science benefit the entire research landscape. Ideas Labs have proven to be highly effective in generating innovative research proposals.

The outcomes of these labs typically include the formation of new interdisciplinary teams, the development of cutting-edge research ideas, and the submission of collaborative proposals for funding. Many Ideas Labs have led to the establishment of long-term research collaborations and the launch of projects that address critical scientific and societal issues.

Ideas Labs have become a valuable tool for advancing the frontiers of science and engineering through collaborative innovation. By fostering inclusive engagement and co-designing solutions, we can harness the full spectrum of strengths within the research community, thereby ensuring that open science serves all contributors and accelerates discovery.

An improved network of experts and innovations will accelerate the dissemination of effective strategies and establish evaluation mechanisms and standards to assess their impact.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.