Co-creation of a shared open science framework for Finland
In Finland, open science is promoted through a national coordination model, in which the whole research community participates in developing national targets, co-creating policies and recommendations and coordinating policy implementation.
The National Open Science and Research Coordination () consists of over 380 active experts. The network is organized along four areas, each of which has an expert panel: culture of open scholarship, open data and methods, open access to scholarly publications, and open education and educational resources. The work is led by the National Steering Group for Open Science and Research, to which all the key organizations in the Finnish research community have nominated representatives. The Coordination is supported by a secretariat (four employees), whose mission is to support research organizations by promoting the development of policies, supporting implementation of these policies and monitoring international open science developments.
These efforts operate within the Finnish policy framework for open science and research, consisting of three levels. The highest level, the Declaration of Open Science and Research 2020–2025 for the Finnish research community, contains the vision and mission for Finnish open science and research and defines goals for each of the four areas. Organizations and individuals can sign the Declaration and thus show their commitment. The second level consists of four policies, which define in more detail what the Finnish research community should do to achieve the goals of the four areas. The third level consists of recommendations for good practices that facilitate the attainment of policy objectives at an organizational as well as an individual level.
The framework documents for each level have been created through a collective effort by working groups with open participation, subjected to a public commenting round and accepted by the Steering Group. A biennial monitoring process ensures implementation of the policy objectives and actions. Individual documents of the policy framework will be updated regularly. The policy framework provides a clear structure for the promotion of open science, while its collective creation process ensures that all the key actors are committed to it.
The Secretariat for the National Open Science and Research Coordination, Finland