Open Science in I4WORLD

Open science is encouraged under the EU Principles on Open Data and Open Publishing. EU-funded research data falls under the FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) principle. As the data collection is funded by the public resources, it should be available for all. Of course, not all data can be shared openly. For example, when handling medical data, it is crucial that the rights and privacy of the people are protected. Open Publishing requires that the peer-reviewed publications must be open access and with CC-BY license or equivalent. These are some of the things researchers must consider. I4WORLD (Imaging and Characterisation for a Sustainable World) is co-funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme’s Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action Co-funding of regional, national, and international programmes, therefore we and all our researchers are committed to these principles.

From the very beginning, we took these principles seriously. We did not let them just to be empty sentences on a paper. We made our researchers think and plan how data collection, storage, and publishing would happen in practice. To have an actual plan and not just the generic written platitudes. To consider the actual services that can be used. Of course, just making a plan is not the end. As nothing is certain in research, the plans themselves must adapt to new situations and challenges. Our researchers are expected to update their plans and execute them as they move forward. But with a good plan it is easier to adapt and be better prepared for anything that comes up. As such, the plans are a valuable resource that will be useful when the time comes to show the world what they have achieved in the program.

You can already check out the publications that our researchers have made this far from our website and remember that Open Science benefits everyone.

I4WORLD Data manager, PhD, Tuomas Mansikkala