RMA Breakfast Focused on Open Science in Practice

On 18 March, the CENTREPEACE project organised another session in its RMA Breakfast series, titled “Open Science in Practice.” The lecture focused on the fundamentals of Open Science, a concept that is becoming increasingly relevant in research and encompasses a wide range of principles, tools, and practices.

The session featured Marika Hrubá from the IT Services Centre of Masaryk University, a member of the Open Science team, and Blanka Farkašová from the Faculty of Social Studies library, who serves as the Open Science contact person at the faculty.

The presentation was structured into three main parts: core principles of Open Science, project requirements, and Open Science services at Masaryk University. In the introductory section, the speakers outlined the broader framework of Open Science, including concepts such as Open Access, Open Data, and Citizen Science. They also introduced the main priorities of Masaryk University in this area, particularly the support of Open Access, FAIR data principles, and the broader development of open science, along with the tools used to achieve these goals.

The second part focused on project requirements associated with commonly funded research projects. The speakers explained the distinction between mandatory and recommended practices and discussed the Data Management Plan, highlighting that it is a dynamic document that should be continuously updated throughout the project. Attention was also given to different forms of Open Access publishing, such as Gold and Green Open Access, as well as the financial aspects of publishing. In this context, tools such as APC vouchers or tokens were introduced as possible ways to cover publication fees.

The presentation also addressed various types of licences used for research outputs, which enable further use and dissemination of project results.

The final part of the workshop focused on the Open Science support structure at Masaryk University. Participants were introduced to the services available to researchers and the institutional support provided in this area. The session concluded with a discussion, which addressed practical questions related to licensing and the storage of publications in repositories within individual projects.

Open Science is becoming an increasingly important component of research practice. It contributes not only to greater transparency and accessibility of scientific results but also to their wider use and societal impact.