A plea for Open Science
Where do we want to go in education, research, and participation, among other areas? And how do we achieve this in an open manner? These are the questions that Kluijtmans, Kummeling, and Miedema discussed during several meetings with staff and students at Utrecht University, as well as with external stakeholders. According to the authors, these sessions were filled with energy and yielded numerous new ideas. Drawing on this input, they began writing a book that serves as a passionate plea for open science in its entirety. Open Science represents a significant cultural shift within academia today. By embracing Open Science practices, the university aims to embed itself more firmly in society, tackling crucial local, regional, and global challenges in both education and research, ultimately contributing more back to society.
CHARM-EU as a testbed for innovations
In the book, CHARM-EU is highlighted as an exemplary model of public engagement. Within the CHARM-EU master’s programme, researchers, social stakeholders, and students collaboratively address research questions formulated by companies, NGOs, or government agencies. The authors describe CHARM-EU as a testbed for innovations and institutional changes aimed at promoting Open Science and public engagement within the educational and research frameworks of the nine CHARM-EU partner institutions.
Open invitation
The central question of this book is: how will the university, during this transition, develop its core tasks of education, research, and societal impact? Since a university is defined by its people, it is crucial to consider how the university community and its organisation are evolving, and ideally how they could develop. For the authors, the comprehensive transition to Open Science is central to this process. Change invariably brings dilemmas and errors. However, the university is a learning organisation. This intention is clarified by Henk Kummeling, who is also a member of the strategic board of CHARM-EU: “To provide insight into what we do and how we envision the future. And explicitly as an open invitation to everyone to reflect on this and to participate.”
Download and read the book The University in Transition (open access)
