Open Science - Joint and Concerted Actions and Monitoring

" ... In order to solve major challenges to our society, such as Ebola, it is not enough to publicize a result or filing a patent. Someone must also take responsibility for getting things to work 'in real life'. The business sector fills that role where there is a commercial potential, but, naturally, not all the challenges we face have a commercial potential. That is why it must be a public responsibility to be in the driver’s seat, when turning new scientific results into new solutions that affect peoples’ lives. And we believe that more openness and better circulation of knowledge is essential to maximizing research impact. Various expert groups have pointed to the fact that several of the major barriers we are facing are social rather than technical. As we have heard, within several disciplines researchers lack an open data sharing culture. We have also heard people argue that too much attention is paid to where people publish, and not enough to the actual quality and verifiability of what is published. When it comes to open science we are facing a collective action problem, or rather a set of collective action problems. To overcome them, politicians and the various stakeholders must work together on all levels, both within Europe and globally. Coordinating activities is a key issue. Only through joint and concerted actions we can hope to counteract the fear of negative first-mover effects and other worries that seem to hamper further progress.  Norway may serve as a an example. We were among the forerunners and adopted a national policy on open access as early as back in 2005. But we have been cautious. Norway is a small country. We have to tread carefully. On the one hand we want to push for progress. But on the other hand we don't want to risk enforcing policies that makes it difficult for our own researchers to do what they perceive will give the highest quality and the best results –and the best chances of landing a job or a grant ..."