Open Science is becoming an integral part of the project conditions in Horizon Europe programmes, and the implementation of Open Science principles is becoming a common condition for projects announced by the Czech Grant Agency and the Czech Technology Agency.
The fact that this is a key topic for the future of science is evidenced by the fact that the concept is addressed both in a key document at UNESCO and in a similar strategy for the future for the future at the European Commission. A recent report by the Association of European Universities also confirms the shift towards open science principles, as the results of its survey of European universities from 36 countries show that 59% of European universities consider open science to be essential and more than half of universities have internal open science mechanisms in place. Masaryk University is also aware of this situation and is preparing a strategic document on Open Science for the coming years (MUNI Open Science Strategy 2022–2028).
Not only this situation was addressed by a series of spring online seminars and workshops at MUNI called Open Science Roadshow, which introduced the academics of individual faculties to the new developments in this area and was an ideal platform for raising questions and comments in the preparation of a strategic university-wide document on Open Science. The online workshop was conducted at ECON MUNI on 13 May. The recording is available here (only Czech). Among the most common points of discussion during these meetings were concerns about the ethical level of shared research outputs (can I/can I not publish the data we collect, fear of competitors alienating our hard-collected data), the mis-targeting of untrustworthy journals in the Open Access mode, or the excessive administrative burden on scientists. We will be happy to advise and assist you in addressing these key issues at the faculty and university level. At the same time, we offer seminars on an ongoing basis and can prepare tailor-made training sessions for your research team according to your requirements.
For a useful insight from Open Science practice, we recommend a workshop dedicated to the topic of research data anonymization. It was led by Berlin professor Fabian Prasser and is available here. Also follow the recently established Open Science MUNI YouTube channel here (only Czech), where the workshop with our colleagues Associate Professor Vladimír Hyánek and Dr. Marie Hladká entitled Open Data in Practice is also still available – mapaneziskovek.cz.
Finally, we attach some useful links. More information about Open Science can be found on the faculty website here and on the university-wide website here. If you have any questions, please contact openscience@econ.muni.cz, where members of the Open Science methodology team at ECON MUNI, Kateřina Oleksíková, Jiří Poláček, and Pavel Sedláček (the main Open Science methodologist), will be available to help you.
Poor air quality has significant economic impacts on people's health. A team of scientists from ECON MUNI and the RECETOX centre has been preoccupied with air quality in Brno since 2021. They have even involved in their research children from several primary schools. Dr Dominika Tóthová, Associate Professor Vilém Pařil and Dr Ondřej Mikeš answer the questions.
Since the beginning of the year, the researchers involved in the In-Touch project are trying to improve the lives of people with dementia and of those who take care of them. Health economists from ECON MUNI are also part of the international team. Jakub Hlávka, head of the Health Economics, Policy, and Innovation Institute (HEPII), says that palliative care should take the emotional, spiritual, and cultural needs of patients into account.
