Open Science

The CFE has a strong commitment to transferring knowledge to the general public and the productive sector, emphasising the sustainability of territories and the well-being of local communities, which aligns with the principles of Open Science.

Open Science, within the scope of the Recommendation published by UNESCO in November 2021, is defined as an “inclusive construct that combines various movements and practices intending to make multilingual scientific knowledge openly available, accessible and reusable for all, increasing collaborations scientific activities and the sharing of information for the benefit of science and society and open the processes of creation, evaluation and communication of scientific knowledge to social actors beyond the traditional scientific community. It covers all scientific disciplines and aspects of academic practices, including basic and applied sciences, natural and social sciences and humanities, based on the following main pillars: open scientific knowledge, open scientific infrastructures, scientific communication, open engagement of social actors and open dialogue with other knowledge systems”.

1. CFE, collectively, and CFE researchers, individually, identify themselves and commit to inserting the principles of Open Science into research practices, observing national and international guidelines and policies, namely:

• Make research data available as possible, complying with the FAIR Principles (Findable. Accessible. Interoperable. Reusable.) (For example, deposit research data that is not Open Access in open repositories as much as possible.)
• Make research results as available as possible, reaching all interested parties, regardless of their ability to pay for access. (For example, making preprints available, publishing preferably in open-access journals and depositing publications in open repositories.)
• Adopt open research methodologies, also referred to as Open Reproducible Research, by documenting the steps followed during the research process, adding value in validating results and ensuring the reproducibility of the research. (For example, describe the steps of the research process - including the raw data, curated data, detailed methodological documentation, tools, study designs, protocols, code, materials, reagents - and make them available where applicable.)
• Adopt free software/tools (open source); Leave open source possible software that may be developed within the scope of research.
• Develop or integrate research projects that involve citizens, adopting Citizen Science practices. (For example, voluntarily involving citizens in the research process, from proposing themes or problems to collecting and analyzing data to disseminating results.)
• Collaborate in Open Peer Review processes, contributing to greater transparency in the investigation validation process. (For example, choosing to include peer review in the final article, subscribing to peer reviews when it is appropriate and you feel comfortable doing so, and choosing to publish in journals that already do open peer review.)

2. The CFE has participated in the dynamics of reflection and promotion of Open Science, namely in the Citizen Science Global Partnership initiative created in partnership with the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and the support of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ). The CFE is committed to promoting the guidelines resulting from the ongoing Working Groups (Policies and Policy Instruments; Monitoring Framework; Funding and Incentives; Capacity Building; Infrastructures).

3. The CFE coordinates and participates in multiple national and international research projects that pursue rigorous practices regarding data and publication of results in open access, adopting demanding and responsible data plans, intending to extend the practice to the entire activity of its researchers.

4. The CFE has promoted several Citizen Science projects and incorporates dynamics to promote involvement and transfer of knowledge with society (public and private entities, companies, citizens), committing globally and at the level of its various activities towards scientific social responsibility.

5. The CFE has a team dedicated to promoting open science, involving training and monitoring actions aimed at i) transparency in practices, methodology, observation and data collection; ii) the valorization and transfer of scientific knowledge; iii) public access and transparency in scientific communication, iv) the use of web-based tools to facilitate scientific collaboration.