Science 2.0/Open Science

"Science 2.0/Open Science consists of a variety of activities based on principles of scholarly sharing and collaboration assisted by IT, namely Web 2.0 technologies. It encompasses, for example, scientists using collaborative technology like wikis, blogs and video journals to share ideas, data or findings (Shneiderman, 2008; Waldrop, 2008). Science 2.0/Open Science is changing the way research is produced, accessed and utilised, and new and diversified ways of scientific exchange and cooperation are emerging. This movement is paving the way to enhanced cross-fertilisation of interdisciplinary research activities, which is critical to tackle complex research issues and societal challenges. Science 2.0 therefore holds great promise in strengthening the competitiveness of the European science and the research system overall. It has the potential to speed up knowledge transfer among scientists and scientific disciplines, to foster the growth of new types of scientific cooperation and to stimulate collaborative research. However, the great potential of Science 2.0/Open Science for scientific development and knowledge transfer also comes with big challenges. These mainly refer to legal constraints, confidentiality issues, intellectual property rights, scientific recognition systems and quality assurance of non-traditional research outputs. In supporting universities in the transition to Science 2.0/Open Science, EUA has, since 2007, developed a series of initiatives related to the implementation of institutional policies on Open Access to research publications. More recently, EUA has set up an Expert Group on Science 2.0/Open Science to continue following developments in this area. This group is part of the research and innovation consultative structures in EUA ..."