FOSTER Plus - Project details (FOSTER Plus)

Facilitate Open Science Training For European Research Plus

www.fosteropenscience.eu/about

The Project
FOSTER Plus (Fostering the practical implementation of Open Science in Horizon 2020 and beyond) is a 2-year, EU-funded project, carried out by 11 partners across 6 countries. The primary aim is to contribute to a real and lasting shift in the behaviour of European researchers to ensure that Open Science becomes the norm. Open Science (OS) and Open Access (OA), meaning free access to scientific results and publications is essential for knowledge sharing and the creation of new knowledge. OS principles support the dissemination and application of research and allow “citizen scientists” as well as the society at large to contribute when research is approaching societal challenges.
Research communities, research performing institutions, and research funders agree that OS skills are increasingly essential for researchers to undertake responsible research and innovation. Indeed general awareness of OS approaches has improved among EU researchers. However, there is still a lack of practical guidance and training to help researchers learn how to open up their research. FOSTER Plus places specific emphasis on creating discipline-specific guidance and is partnering with expert organisations representing the scientific areas of life science, social science and humanities.
FOSTER Plus will enhance existing materials and co-produce new training content. The resources will be discipline-specific and their practical and tangible outcomes can directly be applied into researchers’ daily practices. The training activities will be addressed to all relevant stakeholders in the European Research Area, with a focus on young scientists, academic staff and policy makers. A strong “train-the-OS-trainer” approach and a network of Open Science trainers to act as ambassadors will help to reach a wide audience.
University of Göttingen is mainly responsible for advocacy and outreach activities. This includes the communication via various channels such as the website, a newsletter as well as social media accounts. Furthermore, Open Science training material will be produced. Göttingen State and University Library collaborates closely with TIB Hanover in creating a handbook for Open Science training. Together with the research infrastructure DARIAH-EU training material tailored to the humanities will be developed.

Objectives

  • Support a culture change, whereby the practical aspects of OS are fully implemented and ultimately rewarded: providing training courses and activities for which participants get appreciation through digital badges;
  • Consolidate and sustain a training support network comprised of OS ambassadors from a range of research performing organisations and research infrastructures;
  • Strengthen the training capacity by addressing the current skills and content gaps, both at community/discipline and institutional levels, on the practical implementation of OS.

Main Activities
The objectives will be pursued through the combination of the following main activities:

  • Delivery of  face-to-face training events, blended and e-learning courses that will focus on providing practical, outcome-oriented lessons;
  • Creation of high quality and advanced-level training resources  including a multi-module OS toolkit and an OS training handbook;
  • Consolidation of an OS trainer network involving the disciplinary communities of humanities, social sciences and life sciences.

Lead/Coordination

Affiliates

Project board at the SUB Göttingen

SUB Göttingen departments / units involved in the project

Former project staff of the SUB Göttingen

Helene Brinken