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Open Science

The European Organization for Nuclear Research, known as by its French acronym CERN, makes all of its results widely available through an open source digital library. Image credit: 2005-2016 CERN
The European Organization for Nuclear Research, known as by its French acronym CERN, makes all of its results widely available through an open source digital library. Image credit: 2005-2016 CERN

Science is currently undergoing a revolution thanks to a new approach to the scientific process based on openness, inclusiveness and cooperation, known as Open Science. The EU’s Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation, Carlos Moedas, aims to keep Europe at the vanguard of this change by promoting open access to scientific data and publications. This type of open collaboration will help research and innovation to generate the knowledge and solutions needed to tackle long-term societal challenges such as health, climate change or energy.

PhD student Urban Wünsch learned valuable lessons on a training trip aboard the Danish research ship Dana. Image credit: Urban Wünsch
environment | open science
20 February 2017

Sample labelling in the North Sea helping link up Europe’s research ships

Urban Wünsch never expected product labelling to be the hardest part of a seven-day voyage across the North Sea.

Using satellite data from the EU’s Sentinel missions along with other data is helping scientists figure out how to improve shipping safety. Copyright 2016 EUMETSAT
ict | open science | policy | space | environment
10 November 2016

New trends identified by computers that scour web, satellite data

Highly sophisticated computers are mining vast amounts of data from the web, digital maps and satellite imagery to pick out trends in areas like demographics, transport and the environment.

The percentage of the French population living in urban areas has gone from 62 % in 1960 to 80 % in 2015. 'Nasa photo satellite de Paris' by Nasa is in the public domain
social sciences | environment | open science
31 October 2016

Disused factories and satellites helping thwart urban sprawl

Europe’s big cities have been spreading their tentacles into surrounding villages and farmland for centuries. Now, satellite analysis is helping free up old parking lots, disused factories and abandoned roads to keep new developments inside the city limits.

Carlos Moedas, European Commissioner for Science, Research and Innovation, said the public is no longer willing to accept scientific advice on trust in a time when contradictory information is available at the touch of a button. Image courtesy of the European Union/ Jennifer Jacquemart, 2016
policy | open science
04 October 2016

Science advisers need to explain the evidence – EU research commissioner

People no longer take science advice on trust, and science advisers need to provide evidence for their recommendations, according to Carlos Moedas, European Commissioner for Science, Research and Innovation.

Text and data mining uses software that can sift through large quantities of material to find connections and contradictions that would otherwise be impossible to uncover. Image credit: Flickr/ Christiaan Colen
policy | ict | open science
14 September 2016

Copyright shift would put Europe ahead in ‘future of research’ data mining

In today’s digital age, it can feel as though we are drowning in a deluge of data, and the scientific field is no different. According to a 2014 study, one paper is published every 30 seconds, and more than 70 000 papers have been published on a single protein, a tumour suppressor called p53. 

European Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science, Carlos Moedas, said that the public needs to trust scientists to help determine fact from fiction. Credit: Matt Wilkinson for ESOF 2016
policy | open science
28 July 2016

Public should be at heart of 21st-century science – Commissioner Moedas

Enhancing trust in science through public engagement and open, transparent research is vital if we are to avoid descending into a 'post-factual society', according to Carlos Moedas, the European Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science.

The EU has dedicated more money for migration research in its updated 2016-2017 work programme. Image credit: ‘Wien - Westbahnhof, Migranten am 5 Sep 2015’ by Bwag is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
social sciences | policy | open science
27 July 2016

EU targets migration with 2017 research budget

The EU has adjusted its 2017 research funding plans to help bring science to bear on Europe's migration problem, enhance open science and increase innovation. 

Carlos Moedas, European Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation, has championed Open Science. Image courtesy of the European Commission
policy | ict | open science
20 April 2016

EU launches open science cloud to take research data across borders, disciplines

The EU has outlined its plans for a European Open Science Cloud that will bring together existing infrastructures and open up scientific data across disciplines and across Member States.

Dr Henrik C. Wegener is the chair of the EU's Scientific Advice Mechanism, which for its first task will provide advice on how to measure CO2 emissions with greater real-world accuracy. Image courtesy of Dr Wegener
policy | transport | interview | open science
05 April 2016

Advice on CO2 vehicle emissions testing in six months – EU science panel’s Dr Henrik C. Wegener

The EU’s new Scientific Advice Mechanism (SAM) panel will deliver its first official advice to the European Commission – on how to close the gap between vehicle CO2 emission levels in the real world and those detected under test conditions – within six months, according to Dr Henrik C. Wegener, Chief Academic Officer at the Technical University of Denmark, and chair of the SAM High Level Group.

The European open science cloud is part of a transformation happening in research, known as open science. Image credit: Shutterstock/ gashgeron
ict | open science
27 July 2015

European science cloud on the horizon

Europe’s researchers have access to super-fast networks, common data storage facilities, and shared computing resources. The challenge now is to link them all together into a single science cloud.

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