Digital Science launches new open science initiative
Digital Science has today launched its Open Principles, an initiative aimed at committing its research information solutions to open science now and into the future.
The Principles are the first step in Digital Science’s journey to align more closely with the Barcelona Declaration on Open Research Information from a global research consortium headed by Leiden University, announced earlier today. The Barcelona Declaration calls on universities to utilise open research resources. They are also described as "a concrete articulation of Digital Science’s long-held, core vision of a trusted, frictionless, collaborative research ecosystem that drives progress for all".
Commenting on the Barcelona Declaration, Digital Science CEO Daniel Hook says the company has always believed that research is the single most transformational force for the long-term improvement of society, and today’s announcement represents another step on that path: “Digital Science welcomes the Barcelona Declaration and the global initiative to support open research.
“Open research principles are part of our company’s DNA and they are always something we’re striving towards. When developing our technology, we prioritize open research and tools to make research easier to access. Our company was founded by researchers to help make the research mission easier, better, more open and more globally linked.
“Our new Open Principles are aligned with many of the issues highlighted in the Barcelona Declaration. They are a first step in reaffirming Digital Science’s commitment to open research and will guide our journey toward closer alignment with the community that we serve,” Dr Hook says.
The Principles have been developed by Digital Science’s VP of Open Research and Figshare founder, Dr Mark Hahnel, who believes the Barcelona Declaration will be transformative for researchers and institutions. He said: “We’ve seen a maturing of the open research and open data movement over the past decade, and to a great extent our company and its solutions, such as Figshare, have played a critical role in helping to disrupt and transform research, making research more open.
“It’s my hope that our new Open Principles will help reflect to the research community just how important we feel open research is in creating benefits for society. These are not just internal principles, they represent our broader commitment to the entire research ecosystem."
