On August 27th we organized a first online meeting for Deans as one of the online sessions we organize in the months leading up to February 11th, 2021, the postponed date for the National Open Science Festival.
The overall goal of the online session was to connect deans working in different university contexts and in different stages of creating open science working environments. To inspire each other to take the next steps in their specific academic context, and to discuss Open Science in a few informal conversations in breakout groups. The main theme of the breakout conversations was how the faculties address expectations regarding Open Science coming from universities, governments and society at large.
21 Deans attended this meeting that was moderated by Marco de Niet from Leiden University, together with Karel Luyben, the National Coordinator Open Science. Nora van der Wenden director of the department of Research and Science Policy at the ministry of Education, Culture and Science attended the meeting on behalf of the minister of OCW, Ingrid van Engelshoven.
The discussions in the breakout groups ranged from the importance of the rewards and recognition system in the Open Science culture change, the link to overall ambitions, technological possibilities, ethical and legal challenges to societal challenges in times of COVID 19. The fact that there is no extra money available for the transition to open science, where transitions are always costly was also discussed, and so was the need for solid international infrastructures.
Overall the meeting was received as a successful step in converging efforts towards open science in the Netherlands. We are hoping to take this forward during a live Open Science Festival meeting or in another online meeting in 2021.