Utrecht University: A new batch of Open Science Ambassadors

During a lunch on 29 August, the Open Science Programme was introduced to a new batch of Open Science Ambassadors; researchers, teachers and staff of Utrecht University who were awarded a contribution from the Open Science Fund this summer.

The Open Science Fund
Anyone who wants to develop FAIR software in order to better study global problems such as drought and air pollution, make a podcast series in Groningen about the alternative history of gas extraction in the Netherlands or carry out an experiment to see whether research in the humanities can be replicated, can apply for funding from the Open Science Fund.

With the Open Science Fund, the UU wants to give research teams the opportunity to experiment with doing research in an open science way. Researchers can apply for money for elements of their research that they would not (yet) be able to finance within regular funding streams.

New batch
During the lunch, scientists and staff members who had previously received a contribution from the fund presented the results of their research, but they were also introduced to a new generation. There was a lot of enthusiasm this year to experiment with an open science project. The fund received many more applications than in 2020.

Projects this group will start include making software used for digital humanities research FAIR(er), applying open education to development studies, a field that is still primarily based on knowledge from ‘the global north’ despite its international character, and monitoring health (heat stress, air quality and traffic flows) on Heidelberglaan in the Utrecht Science Park. This research is done by employees of the university’s real estate department and Utrecht scientists.

Call later this year
Later this autumn the Open Science Programme will launch a new call for the Open Science Fund, simultaneously with a new call from the Public Engagement Seed Fund.