Open Science

The advent of Open Science represents a transformative shift in the way research is conducted, shared, and utilised in society. Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi (SUAD) is committed to advancing knowledge through transparency, collaboration, and accessibility. In SUAD’s Strategic Plan 2024-2028, the promotion of Open science is the third objective of the Research pillar. The university emphasises the role that the university seeks to play as an agent of societal transformation, promoting the exchange of knowledge to address major social challenges and demands. This objective aligns with international frameworks and instruments, such as the UNESCO Recommendation on Open Science, the French National Plan for Open Science (French Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation), the Plan S (by Science Europe, European Research Council and European Commission) and the values and principles of Sorbonne Université.

The university’s Open Science strategy, approved by the Research Council in February 2025, reflects its dedication to making research outputs openly accessible, enhancing the reproducibility of scientific research, and fostering an inclusive research environment in the research institute (SAFIR) and its centres and laboratories. An Open Science environment contributes to the improvement of the quality, efficiency and responsiveness of teaching, research and innovation.

The university’s vision for Open Science at SUAD and at SAFIR (SUAD main research institute) is to create an ecosystem in which research is publicly accessible, actively shared among researchers and the community, and collaborative in nature. The university aims to break down barriers to knowledge and empower researchers, practitioners, and the public to access and contribute to the scientific enterprise. 

The shift towards open science undoubtedly necessitates reforms that are systemic, cultural, and technical in nature, impacting assessment standards and research practices, as well as the execution of research and innovation. At SUAD, commitment to Open Science is viewed as a collective responsibility, acknowledging that a successful transition will demand a united effort from all members of the university community.  SUAD strongly encourages everyone within the community to actively promote the open science strategy. Particularly concerning research, it is essential to ensure that findings are disseminated effectively, utilised by society, integrated into other research contexts, or, where suitable, commercialised.

1. Accessibility of Research Outputs: 

Promote the use of open access publishing and encourage researchers to share their findings in openly accessible journals and repositories. 

Establish a repository policy for theses, dissertations, and research data to ensure they are discoverable and accessible. 

2. Enhancing Collaboration and Partnerships: 

Collaborate with other universities and organisations that are already adopting open science to share best practices and resources and to continuously improve the adoption of open science. 

Foster interdisciplinary and cross-institutional collaborations by supporting collaborative platforms and tools that facilitate sharing resources and expertise (such as Open Labs platform launched by the UAE government) 

Engage with community partners and stakeholders to ensure research addresses societal needs and encourages public participation in the research process. 

3. Transparency and Reproducibility: 

Encourage the use of open research practices, including sharing methodologies, protocols, and analytic code. 

Develop guidelines for data management and sharing to enhance reproducibility and transparency in research activities. 

4. Cultural Change: 

Promote Open Science culture among faculty, researchers, and students through workshops, seminars, and training sessions on Open Science principles and practices. 

Recognise and reward researchers who actively engage in Open Science initiatives. 

5. Policies and Support:

Establish clear institutional policies that support Open Science practices, including data management, open access publishing, and ethical considerations in sharing research outputs. 

Provide resources and support services, such as librarianship and technology platforms, to guide researchers in adopting Open Science practices. 

• As an institution committed to Open Science, and in order to advance in the adoption of the open science strategy at SUAD, the following points are proposed for implementation in 2025:

• Entry of bibliographic references on HAL (open archive portal) for all publications by SUAD and SAFIR members and affiliate researchers (https://hal.science/SUAD).

• Internal funding for open access publishing: provide funding to support open access publication fees, enabling researchers to publish their work in open access venues and ensure broader dissemination of their findings. 

• Training and workshops for researchers and faculty: organise regular training sessions and workshops focused on data management, open access publishing, and best practices in Open Science, avoiding predatory journals and conferences.

• Create a toolbox for researchers to easily access information on: LibGuide, legal questions, training to create and manage deposits on HAL, open data management, and more. 

• Adopt open research practices, such as sharing methodologies, protocols, and datasets, to enhance transparency and reproducibility in their work.

• Prioritise publishing in open access journals or repositories, ensuring their findings are widely accessible to the public and the global research community. 

• Create and use the IdHAL and ORCID identifiers to allow them to identify themselves as the unique authors of their publications and to promote the visibility of their scientific output. 

• Adhere to the university’s policies and guidelines related to Open Science, data sharing, and open access publishing. 

• Participate in open science events, seminars, and training sessions taking place at SUAD. 

• Ensure that when an article is published in an open access journal and publications fees (Article Processing Charges) are required that:

          -  The journal is fully open access, rather than a hybrid publication

          - The journal is recognised in the field for the quality of its editorial process (refuse predatory publishers)

          - Any publication fees (Article Processing Charges) are in line with the real costs of publication