Open Science

Text

Open science means that research results, data, and processes are made more open and accessible. MDU actively works to contribute to an open scientific system.

Open Science

Open Science means that research results, data, and processes are made more open and accessible. MDU actively works to contribute to an open scientific system.

Open Science is an umbrella term for working methods that make the processes, results, and resources of research transparent, accessible, and reusable.

The purpose of Open Science is to make research more accessible and to enable reuse, which promotes innovation and collaboration. The initiative has international support and originates from the research community, with the goal that researchers — not publishers — should have control over the publication and dissemination of research results. In summary, open science is about much more than fulfilling regulations; it is a way to improve research quality, strengthen transparency, and make knowledge more useful for both society and our students.

Frequently asked questions about Open Science

Six focus areas within Open Science

The national guidelines for Open Science highlight six focus areas:

Open Access to publications

Means that scientific publications are made freely available for anyone to read, download, and share.

Open data

Means that data from the research process is made accessible.

Open research methods

Means that the tools and procedures used in the research process are shared openly.

Open educational resources

Teaching materials that are made freely available for use, sharing, and adaptation.

Public participation in the research process

Means that the public takes part in the research process through data collection, analysis, or feedback.

Infrastructures enabling Open Science

Digital and organizational infrastructures are essential for long‑term and standardized access to research results.

National guidelines

Since 2024, there are National Guidelines for Open Science. These guidelines cover six focus areas: open publications, open data and open methods, open educational resources, public participation in the research process, and the necessary infrastructure.

The Association of Swedish Higher Education Institutions (SUHF) has also developed a national Roadmap for Open Science. The roadmap contains recommendations and proposed measures related to governance, incentives, support structures, FAIR research data, open educational resources, and collaboration between higher education institutions. The Swedish roadmap and the government’s vision are closely aligned and emphasize the importance of national consistency, shared standards, and quality assured processes.

National guidelines for open science, Open Science.se External link.

SUHF's road map for Open Science (in swedish only) External link.

International guidelines

UNESCO

The UN agency UNESCO actively promotes open science and in 2021 published the UNESCO Recommendation on Open Science. The recommendations describe shared principles and actions to make scientific information open, inclusive, and sustainable at both individual and national levels.

UNESCO Recommendation on Open Science, UNESCO External link.

European Union (EU)

The EU regards open science as a central part of European research policy and aims to make science more transparent, efficient, and responsive through various initiatives. The goal is for Europe to fully benefit from Open Science by opening research both across disciplines and toward society.

Open Science, European Union External link.

Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA)

CoARA is an international initiative aimed at reforming how research and researchers are assessed. It was developed by the European Commission together with Science Europe and the European University Association. In Sweden, the work is coordinated by SUHF through CoARA National Chapter Sweden, where higher education institutions and research funders collaborate to implement CoARA’s principles at the national level.

For Swedish researchers, CoARA means that Open Science will gradually become more important in merit assessment, career systems, and research evaluation.

About CoARA, CoARA External link.

MDU's Open Science Project

In 2026, MDU is carrying out an important strategic initiative focused on Open Science. The work is led on behalf of the Vice-Chancellor. The project owner is Vice-Rector Paul Pettersson, with Linda Höglund as project manager and Sara Landerdahl Stridsberg as deputy project manager.

The background to the initiative is clear. International and national requirements and recommendations — from UNESCO, the EU, and the Swedish research bill — emphasize that publicly funded research should be openly accessible. However, open science is about more than complying with regulations; it is a way to improve research quality, strengthen transparency, and make knowledge more useful for both society and our students.
The project aims to simplify and improve the conditions at MDU for researchers and students to contribute to Open Science. As part of the project, the possibilities of making Open Science a merit bearing activity are also being explored.

When research becomes more open, its impact increases. With this project, we aim to strengthen the dissemination and use of research results through better conditions, clear incentives, and needs based support that makes open science easier in everyday work for researchers, teachers, and students.

Enhancing the openness of research increases its overall impact. Through this project, we seek to strengthen the dissemination and utilisation of research outputs by establishing improved structural conditions, clear incentives, and tailored support mechanisms. Our objective is to facilitate the integration of open science into the routine practices of researchers, educators, and students.

Paul Pettersson, Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research and Doctoral Education