VR³ÉÈËÊÓƵ

The Open Research Steering Group will develop and oversee the overall strategy and implementation of the University’s Open Research action plan and work closely with the .

The steering group was established in Spring 2024 and held their first meeting in May.

The group’s Terms of Reference and membership were approved by the Academic Ethics and Integrity Committee (AEIC) on 24th April 2024, and are outlined on this page.

Vision

• For Open Research practices to be valued and embedded within research culture at the VR³ÉÈËÊÓƵ.
• For the adoption of Open Research practices to be encouraged through communication and engagement with the research community.

Objectives

• To develop and oversee the overall strategy and implementation of the Open Research Action Plan at the VR³ÉÈËÊÓƵ.
• To work closely with the UK Reproducibility Network (UKRN) on engagement with Open Research practices.

Remit

• Advocate for Open Research practices to be embedded within research activities across the University.
• Incorporate recognition for Open Research in hiring and promotion criteria.
• Develop policies, processes, and resources to allow for the implementation of the Open Research Action Plan.

Steering Group Duties

• In partnership with colleagues and departments across the University, the steering group will prioritise work on the following key themes of interest related to Open Research practice:
  • Qualitative Research
  • Open Infrastructure (including open hardware, resources and platforms)
  • Open Access, Data and Outputs
  • Early Career Researchers – create opportunities for learning and encouraging input from early career researchers
• To advise senior leadership on emerging issues and opportunities that relate to Open Research, identifying appropriate actions and escalating as required.
• To oversee delivery and analysis of a bi-annual Open Research awareness and practice survey.

Membership

The steering group will be constituted as follows:

• Institutional Lead UKRN (Chair) –
• Research Integrity Manager (Secretary) – Fran Baber
• Head of Research Governance and Compliance – Dr Filipa Vance
• UKRN Local Network Lead –
• Academic Representative –
• Research Culture Manager – Hayley Shaw
• Senior Data Librarian – Dr Alice Motes
• Doctoral College Representative – Caroline McMurray
• Open Research ‘Theme Leads’ (x4 tbc) – (Qualitative Research), (Early-career Researchers), Catherine Borwick (Open Access, Data and Outputs)

Reporting Lines

• Report to the University’s Academic Ethics and Integrity Committee (AEIC) on progress with implementation of the action plan and progress to deliver on the ambitions of the strategy.

Procedural Rules

Membership and appointment of Chair

• To be agreed by the Academic Ethics and Integrity Committee.

Notes, actions and updates

• To be managed by the Secretary and submitted to the Academic Ethics and Integrity Committee.
• The Steering Group will meet three times per year in September, January and May.

Resources

• Open Research homepage
• Open Research Action Plan
• Five practical ways to make your research open