University heads call for greater focus on open science

Open science, the movement to make scientific research accessible to all levels of society, is pivotal to the future development of institutions of higher education, university presidents said at the WLA University Presidents Forum in Shanghai on Monday.

The presidents of Chinese and foreign universities who attended the event also agreed that universities should share knowledge, data, and innovations that could help address issues such as global warming, food security, sustainable energy and infectious diseases. They added that important major discoveries largely hinge on scientific infrastructures that are open and shared across academic and country borders.

A part of the Fourth World Laureates Forum, the WLA University Presidents Forum saw 131 world science awardees, including 68 Nobel Prize laureates, participating online and offline. The forum is hosted by the World Laureates Association and the China Association for Science and Technology.

Gong Qihuang, executive vice-president of Peking University, said that institutions of higher institutions from around the world should lay down open, transparent, equitable and inclusive regulations regarding open science and form an institutionalized and regulated track for this theme.

He said Peking University has been committed to promoting open science and the concept of openness for years.

"Nowadays, papers published by Peking University about research projects involving collaborations with other institutions account for one-third of the total of our published research results," said Gong, who is also a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Hugh Brady, president and vice-chancellor of the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom, added that open science is part of a wider open research agenda.

"Open research practices are relevant across all disciplines, and engaging a broad range of disciplines is critical," said Brady, who attended the forum via video link.

Etienne Auge, vice-president of University of Paris-Saclay, said that open science practice at universities should also strive to have more interactions with non-academic entities.

"These entities include companies, especially small and medium-sized enterprises, citizen science, and societal debates involving science," he said.