A Philosophy of Open Science for Diverse Research Environments

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Frontiers in Open Research Colloquium: We are delighted to announce the launch of the interdisciplinary colloquium led by Sabina Leonelli. Beginning on Thursday, 24 April 2025, the weekly hybrid seminar (Thursdays, 14:00–16:00 CET) will feature critical discussions on Open Research, research cultures, and systemic challenges, focusing on life sciences, data science, and AI. Each session includes expert talks and insights from recent research. Location: Augustenstrasse 40 (3rd-floor seminar room) and via Zoom.

The Res Philosophica 2025 Conference “Pragmatism and Scientific Inquiry”, held in St Louis on April 25-26, 2025, provided an opportunity for Leonelli to trace and compare the intellectual origins and legacies of Popperian and Bergsonian approaches to the Open Society, and point to their implications for contemporary views on Open Science.

At the International Conference on “Responsible AI” hosted by the Munich Centre for Responsible AI Technologies, held on April 8-10 2025, Sabina Leonelli delivered a keynote on “AI for Democratic Societies” tackling questions of inequity and discrimination in relation to research development, the spread of misinformation and more broadly the imagination of AI underpinning specific ways of using computational technology for science (distinguishing between ‘convenient’ approaches to AI and the different framing provided by Environmental Intelligence).

Sabina gave a keynote at the German Society for Philosophy of Science's (GWP) three-yearly conference, in Erlangen on 24‐26 March 2025.

Paola Castaño's report, Expanding the Space Biology Community: NASA Open Science Data Repository's Analysis Working Groups - Survey Report, analyzed how the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Open Science Data Repository (OSDR) has influenced space biology through open data practices. Conducted as part of the PHIL_OS project, the study explored how data processing and sharing at OSDR facilitated scientific collaboration. The research highlighted how open science practices have shaped space biology and examined the repository’s efforts to balance maximizing discovery with democratizing access.

New report on transdisciplinary research: Sabina Leonelli engaged with a wide variety of stakeholders in public engagement around science and technology at the 19^th Munin Conference for Scholarly Publishing, where she conducted a workshop on Mechanisms for Transdisciplinary Research together with Stefano Rimini of the Pianeta association. A report of the proceedings, with lessons learnt and the original presentation slides, is now available on the Septentrio Conference Series: https://doi.org/10.7557/5.7842

Insightful article on Diversity and Open Science. Mark Huskisson, co-chair of the OPERAS Research Infrastructure, published a thought-provoking article exploring the intersection of diversity and Open Science. The piece drew on Sabina Leonelli's philosophical insights, linking them to current international developments in Open Science and scholarly communication. It's a compelling read for anyone interested in the evolving landscape of academic collaboration. Here are: Reflections from The Munin Conference Part Two – Open Science. Stay tuned for more updates on the recent Munin Conference!

Nathanael Sheehan and Sabina Leonelli published an article, "Reconciling data actionability and accountability in global health research: The case of SARS-CoV-2," in the Global Public Health Journal. The study investigated the perceived trade-off between actionability and accountability in data infrastructures, focusing on genomic data sharing during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Through a comparative analysis of two data-sharing infrastructures, the authors argued that actionable data must drive knowledge development and remain accountable to contributors and users. The findings challenged the notion that easy accessibility is essential for data actionability, highlighting the critical role of responsiveness and open communication.