Open data and open science / Feature Articles / Home - ICT Update, a current awareness bulletin for ACP agriculture

"Modern science relies on data – lots of data that are complex and diverse. Open science – scientific results, the data that feed them, the software that sits beneath them, or the educational resources that help us teach and learn – can transform every scientific discipline and enable cross-disciplinary research. Research data became important assets because they result from our continuously improving ability to collect facts, measure with unprecedented precision, depth and volume. To reap the advantages of ICTs and to enable global research collaborations, interoperable data infrastructures are essential to allow users to share and exchange data. For a research funder like the European Commission (EC), which uses taxpayer resources, it is important to ensure that the results of the research are high quality and openly reusable, taking into account the specificities of the research cultures in different scientific fields. Indeed, the EC is working to ensure an open data framework and to promote ‘intelligent openness’ so that research results can be verified and trusted. This requires coordination with European member states through the national funding bodies. The proposed framework will serve as the basis for the next European Framework Programme for research and innovation, called Horizon 2020 ..."