Open Science in Horizon Europe

As part of the new Horizon Europe programme, the Commission has developed a comprehensive Open Science policy. Open Science is now considered to be an integral part of the research process, from the initial proposal-writing stage all the way to post-award reporting.

The Open Science approach is based upon open, cooperative work and systematic sharing of knowledge and tools as early and widely as possible. This is seen as crucial for increasing the quality and efficiency of research projects. It also speeds up the advancement of knowledge and subsequently benefits the entire innovation process.

Open Science practices include:

Early and open sharing of research
Research output management and measures to enable the reproduction of research outputs
Providing open access to research outputs (see accompanying guides below on publications and research data)
Participation in open peer-review throughout the research process
Involving a range of people in the co-creation of research and innovation agendas (e.g. citizens, civil society representatives and end users)

In Horizon Europe there are both mandatory practices, which are required for all projects, and 'recommended' practices (anything from the list above that doesn’t appear under mandatory practices). By including both mandatory and recommended Open Science practices in your proposal you will increase its evaluation score.

Mandatory Open Science Practices

Open access to scientific publications under the conditions required by the grant agreement
Responsible management of research data in line with the FAIR principles (see accompanying guide on open science re. research data)
Information is shared about the research outputs/tools/instruments needed to validate the conclusions of scientific publications or to validate/re-use research data
Digital or physical access to the results needed to validate the conclusions of scientific publications (unless exceptions apply)
In cases of public emergency, if requested by the granting authority, immediate open access to all research outputs under open licenses. If exceptions apply, access under fair and reasonable conditions to legal entities that need the research outputs to address the emergency

Including Open Science practices in your Horizon Europe proposal

Refer to the Horizon Europe Programme Guide for detailed guidance on how to address open science practices in your proposal.
Open science practices are considered in the evaluation of proposals, in both the ‘Excellence’ and ‘Quality and efficiency of implementation’ sections.
You must provide concrete information on how you plan to comply with the mandatory open science practices. Failure to sufficiently address this will result in a lower evaluation score.
Additionally, a clear explanation of how you will adopt recommended practices, as appropriate for your project, will result in a higher evaluation score.
If you believe that none of the open science practices (mandatory or recommended) apply to your project, you must provide a justification.
See the accompanying guides below on Publications and Research Data for specific guidance on each aspect

Open Science Guides and Resources

Please find below One-page guides on Open Science:

You can also consult the recording and the presentation slides of our last webinar on Open Science (held in June 2022) on our EUFunding@ Stream Channel:

European Union & Open Science by Nick Sheppard & Jonathan Horne, Open Research Advisors, part of the University of Leeds Research Data Management Team. Nick and Jonathan's presentation includes, amongst other things, an introduction to open science as well as practical advice related to the requirements for Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe projects.
Follow this link to consult the slides.
Opening Research Workflows: why she should do it and how it can be done? by Dr Eike Rinke, Lecturer in Politics & Media, School of Politics. Dr Rinke is also the University of Leeds representative for the UK Reproducibility Network and an active Open Science advocate.
Follow this link to consult the slides.
Co-creation for better research by Prof Cristina Leston-Bandeira, Professor of Politics, School of Politics.
Prof. Leston-Bandeira is a world-leader in citizen democratic engagement and the concept of participatory/co-designed research.
Follow this link to consult the slides.

Contact

You can contact the University of Leeds Library services for further support on Horizon Europe Open Science requirements for your project: research@library.leeds.ac.uk