Open Science Office at the University of Mannheim Made Permanent
The Open Science Office at the University of Mannheim, founded in 2021, will be made permanent after three years of start-up funding. This decision underlines the University's clear commitment to transparent and reproducible research and its active role in promoting Open Science.
Press release from 14 March 2024
Print version (pdf)
The Open Science Office was established at the University of Mannheim in 2021 to anchor Open Science institutionally and create a central point of contact for enquiries relating to Open Science within the university. It supports researchers at all career levels and disciplines in implementing Open Science practices by providing advice, training, and special grants.
After three years of start-up funding, the university has now decided to make the Open Science Office permanent based on an evaluation of its impact report. “The decision to establish the Open Science Office as a permanent institution underlines our commitment to transparent and reproducible research at the University of Mannheim. Our researchers can implement Open Science research practices such as pre-registration, provision of open materials, and reproducible and transparent workflows, with the support of the Open Science Office”, says Prof Henning Hillman, Ph.D., Vice-president for Research and Early Career Researchers and Chair of the Open Science Council.
The impact report outlines the achievements of the Open Science Office from 2021–2023. The Open Science Office has organised numerous workshops, seminars, and training courses as part of the University Library's Research Skills Seminars to provide researchers with the knowledge and tools needed to apply Open Science practices. In addition, the Open Science Office has helped to acquire third-party funding for researchers at the University of Mannheim. It also offers its own Open Science Grants, which incentivise researchers to integrate Open Science practices into their research.
“The research culture itself is changing towards a more open and transparent academic landscape and the requirements of funding organisations are also growing in this area. The University of Mannheim is well prepared for the coming changes by consolidating Open Science institutionally and is thus preparing its doctoral students, early career researchers and professors for the future”, says Dr. David Philip Morgan, Open Science Officer of the University of Mannheim.
Contact:
Dr. David Philip Morgan
Open Science Officer & Research Data Management Consultant
University of Mannheim
Tel.: +49 621 181-2990
E-Mail: david.morganuni-mannheim.de