Open Research: moving from individual recommendations to coordinated action
Programme outline
Through a coordinated series of thematic webinars, a cross-sector synthesis and collaboration workshop, and a small set of implementation case studies, this programme brings together evidence, recommendations, and practical experience from across the research ecosystem to collectively shape the next steps for open research data and open research indicators.
The programme will connect UKRN outputs from the Open Research Programme (ORP)—including those on institutional support for open research data (STAR Report), skills (UKRN open research training), monitoring open research (Open Research Indicators pilot projects and policy monitoring work with the Medical Research Council), improving the FAIR-ness of data in repositories (FIRM), and evaluating changes in awareness and behaviour (the ORP Survey)—with related national and international initiatives such as Open Science Monitoring Initiative (OSMI) and the Barcelona Declaration on Open Research Information, and identify opportunities for coordinated action. Running from October 2026 to March 2027, the programme will engage researchers, institutions, funders, publishers, learned societies, and research professionals, with a focus on turning recommendations into practical implementations and building momentum for the next phase of open research.
Webinar series
22 October 2026: Research data planning and review (13:00-15:00)
This is the first of a six-part online programme, bringing together funders, publishers, infrastructure providers, researchers, and research professionals to drive coordinated cross-sector action and make open research a reality in the UK.
This session explores research data planning and review, focusing on the upstream practices that shape how research data and materials are managed, shared, and reused across the research lifecycle. Using the recent Sustainable and TrAnsparent Research data (STAR) Study Report as a starting point, this session will bring together perspectives from across the sector to reflect on the report’s recommendations, paying particular attention to its concluding recommendation on the need for formalised open research review mechanisms.
Participants and attendees will be invited to consider the barriers to and enablers of the practical adoption and implementation of the report’s recommendations, and identify where coordinated action has the greatest potential to make open research the norm rather than the exception. The session will also look ahead to the rest of the programme, connecting planning and review with themes including FAIR data and repositories, open research monitoring and indicators, skills and capability development, and incentives and recognition, setting the agenda for the collaborative work to follow.
Hosted by University of Sheffield.
November 2026: Research data deposit and FAIR data
More details coming soon.
December 2026: Monitoring and indicators
More details coming soon.
January 2027: Surveys and monitoring of open research practices
More details coming soon.
February 2027: Skills and capability development
More details coming soon.
March 2027: Incentives, recognition and reward
More details coming soon.
Workshop (2027)
More details coming soon