Open Science

What are Open Infrastructures?

Open Infrastructures include both software and hardware. These are based on a community-driven process for contribution and maintenance. It is developed and required for the realization of specific research projects in scientific contexts. Open software is marked by its publicly available source code (non-proprietary) in a user-friendly manner as well as in human- and machine-readable and modifiable formats. The use of open licensing for publishing software and source code grants others the right to reuse, modify and share.

Open source code is usually a component of the research process in the context of Open Science, and thus should provide documentation that specifies the environment and conditions that are required to compile and run it. Open hardware should generally include licences that allow anyone who wishes to do so to (re-)construct and remix this hardware and share knowledge about its design and function.

What are the benefits for you?

• Ensuring the longevity of research software
• Supporting your scientific community by providing reusable and adaptable research software
• Contributing to the security and further development of high quality open (research) software
• Establishing yourself as an expert in specific domains by contributing to relevant open source projects and highlight your open source contributions, also with regard to research assessment criteria
• Enabling other (less privileged) researchers to use and/or rebuild high-quality hardware components for use in specific research environments

Requirements

• Computational, programming and analytical skills
• Get familiar with the principles and practices of the open source community, such as the use of licenses, version control, documentation standards, contribution guidelines and legal obligations (copyrights, usage rights, etc.)
• Knowledge on suitable licenses that align with your goals and providing control over how your software is used and shared
• Be aware of security best practices to help ensure the safety and integrity of the codebase

Resources

• GitHub
• Software carpentry (workshops, information and training materials)
• Coderefinery – Training and E-Infrastructure for Research Software Development
• Training Hub of the Software Sustainability Institute (UK)
• FOSTER Training Handbook: Research Software and Open Science (article and presentation)
• Intersect – Research Software Engineering Training
• Research Software Alliance (link to national research software alliances)