The alliance led by the Tanenbaum Open Science Institute (TOSI) continues to expand with the addition of the Simon Fraser University (SFU), becoming the first university to fully adopt a comprehensive Open Science framework. This sets the stage for a transformative shift in how research is conducted, shared, and made accessible to all, to benefit society at large.
Based at The Neuro (Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital), TOSI has been rallying Canadian neuroscience institutes and research centers through formal partnerships to accelerate the adoption of Open Science across the country. SFU becoming the seventh member to join the partnership with TOSI is a significant milestone, as it is the first to adopt Open Science and Open Scholarship principles at the scale of the entire university.
Through this partnership, SFU developed its own unique , tailored to its specific goals and values and including all disciplines, from the STEM to the social sciences and humanities. This framework is guided by six principles emphasizing collaboration with diverse communities, responsible data stewardship, and ethical Intellectual Property management while recognizing researchers’ autonomy.
“SFU is the first university in Canada to explore an open scholarship framework for the whole institution—reflecting our progressive spirit and international reputation for transdisciplinary research and innovation,” says Randy McIntosh, director of SFU’s .
Additionally, what truly sets SFU apart in its approach to Open Science and Open Scholarship is its strong commitment to engaging with and connecting to communities and indigenous populations and developing best practices to reconcile open data sharing with data ownership and stewardship considerations.
"As a leading research university that is committed to living out our values of engagement and openness, I am proud that SFU is adopting an open scholarship framework," says SFU President Joy Johnson. "This framework will play a key role in our efforts to support students, staff and faculty across the university who are producing innovative research that makes a difference for B.C. and Canada."
Open Science and Open Scholarship have long been in SFU’s DNA: in 2017, the university implemented an to facilitate open publications and has had an open publication fund since 2010. Additionally, SFU has been leading the , a worldwide collaborative effort to build an open-source publishing platforms used by many open access scientific journals. With these Open Science and Scholarship initiatives already in place, SFU was a natural partner of the TOSI alliance. With this new framework, SFU builds on its ongoing commitment to an open philosophy of research, and will expand it to the entire scientific process, beyond open access to scientific publications.
This transformational shift is supported by a $1M endowment from TOSI as part of its National Incentive Fund. This amount, matched by SFU, ensures a steady, annual source of funding available in the long term, entirely dedicated to the implementation of Open Science and Scholarship principles at the university.
For TOSI, this partnership marks an exciting expansion beyond the traditional scope of neuroscience.
" We have witnessed the advantages that adopting structural Open Scholarship principles brings to neuroscience research across the country," says Dr. Guy Rouleau, Director of The Neuro and co-founder of the Tanenbaum Open Science Institute. "SFU's plan to expand this approach to its entire research ecosystem holds tremendous potential for a profound and sustained shift towards more open research practices."
This expansion is the next step for TOSI in creating a shift in research culture as a whole and how we do science, in Canada, and beyond.
“After rallying several major neuroscience research institutes and supporting them in implementing Open Science, a natural next step for TOSI is to expand that model to institutions as a whole,” says Larry Tanenbaum, OC, co-founder of the Tanenbaum Open Science Institute. “I am very pleased to see Open Science and Open Scholarship being deployed at the whole SFU - This is a first in Canada, and I am certain that many more will follow.”
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About Open Science
Open Science, also known as Open Scholarship when extended to all disciplines, is a movement aimed at transforming research culture by promoting the free sharing of scientific knowledge, data, and research processes to make science more effective, accessible, and collaborative. By improving efficiency, and fostering greater trust among researchers, patients, and the public, Open Science helps drive innovation, ensuring that scientific advancements benefit society at large. Key principles of Open Science include open access to publications, open data sharing, and collaboration across disciplines, but Open Science can be decline throughout the entirety of the research process.
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About the Tanenbaum Open Science Institute (TOSI)
The Tanenbaum Open Science Institute was established in 2016 at The Neuro through a $20-million donation by the Larry & Judy Tanenbaum Family Foundation with a goal of leading the development of Open Science within The Neuro and encouraging other Canadian research institutes, in neuroscience and beyond, to commit to Open Science.
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