Open Science

"Open science" refers to an approach to research that emphasizes accessible and equitable sharing of research outputs, resources, methods or tools, at any stage of the research process. Preprints, publications, research data, research software, notebooks, open peer review, educational resources and citizen science all fall within its scope. The benefits of open science include advancing research excellence, enabling knowledge mobilization, expanding research impact, and strengthening research governance.

CIHR's Open Science Activities

At CIHR, open science is a key component of the agency's inclusive approach to research excellence. CIHR advances open science through a range of policies and activities involving researchers, infrastructure providers and knowledge users, including patients and the public, policy makers, clinicians, and other stakeholders. These efforts increase the accessibility and broaden the impact of health research and help to mobilize this research such that it contributes to improved health of Canadians, more effective health services and products provided to them, and a strengthened Canadian health care system.

Working in collaboration with Canada's other federal research funders — the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) — CIHR's open science activities focus on two key areas:

• CIHR Strategic Plan 2021-2031

  CIHR Strategic Plan 2021-2031
  CIHR's Strategic Plan includes a commitment to open science, where it pledges to make the results of Canadian health research more accessible so that they can be used more broadly, resulting in benefits for health and health care. This includes a commitment to the FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable), while also respecting and upholding the rights of First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples to self-determine the management of Indigenous research data.

• Government of Canada Open Science Strategies and Statements

  Government of Canada Roadmap for Open Science
  The objective of the Chief Science Advisor of Canada's Roadmap for Open Science is to provide overarching principles and recommendations to guide open science activities in Canada. The recommendations are intended for research conducted or funded by federal government departments and agencies.

  Government of Canada Open Science Action Plans
  Canada's federal government department and agencies have developed open science action plans as per recommendation #3 in the Chief Science Advisor of Canada's Roadmap for Open Science. While these action plans recognize the common themes of open science, they also reflect the diverse needs and contexts of each department in their achievement of the recommendation(s). These action plans will guide internal efforts and are released as they become available, in the spirit of open government.

  Open Government
  The Government of Canada has prioritized working with the national and international open government community to create greater transparency and accountability, increase citizen engagement, and drive innovation and economic opportunities through open data, open information, and open dialogue. CIHR is working with other science-based departments and agencies to develop and implement activities related to open access to research outputs and digital data management.

• International Open Science-Related Strategies, Recommendations and Activities

  UNESCO Recommendation on Open Science
  The aim of the Recommendation is to provide an international framework for open science policy and practice that recognizes disciplinary and regional differences in open science perspectives, takes into account academic freedom, gender-transformative approaches and the specific challenges of scientists and other open science actors in different countries and in particular in developing countries, and contributes to reducing the digital, technological and knowledge divides existing between and within countries.

  The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA)
  In November 2019, the Tri-Agencies became signatories to DORA, a global initiative to support the development and promotion of best practices in the assessment of scholarly research. While the Declaration does not specifically focus on open science, it does include recommendations that intersect with open science concerns. For example, the Declaration recommends that the value and impact of all research outputs (including data and software), in addition to publications, be considered in research assessment.

  WHO Joint Statement on Public Disclosure of Results from Clinical Trials
  In May 2017, some of the world's largest funders of medical research and international non-governmental organizations agreed to new standards requiring all clinical trials they fund to be registered and the results disclosed publicly, through the development and implementation of the WHO Joint Statement on public disclosure of results from clinical trials. CIHR signed the statement in October 2020 and requires Nominated Principal Investigators receiving grant funds for clinical trial research on or after January 1, 2022 to comply with policy requirements that are in alignment with the Statement and existing tri-agency policies.

• Open Science and COVID-19

  Joint Statement on Sharing Research Data and Findings Relevant to the COVID-19 Outbreak
  Launched in January 2020, the Joint Statement calls on researchers, journals and funders to ensure that research findings and data relevant to the COVID-19 outbreak are shared rapidly and openly. CIHR requires that data produced through its COVID-19 funding are shared in line with the Statement, while recognizing ethical responsibilities and Indigenous data sovereignty.

  National Science and Technology Advisors' Call for Open Access to COVID-19 Publications
  In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, National Science and Technology Advisors from fifteen countries and the European Commission called on publishers to provide immediate and open access to all COVID-19 related publications and the available data supporting them. The Chief Science Advisor of Canada is among the signatories. CIHR requires that publications produced through its COVID-19 funding opportunities be immediately accessible, in line with the Advisors' Call.

  Research Data Alliance Recommendations and Guidelines on Data Sharing
  The Research Data Alliance's COVID-19 Recommendations and Guidelines on Data Sharing provides detailed guidelines on data and software sharing to help researchers and data stewards follow best practices to maximize the efficiency of their work and to act as a blueprint for future emergencies. It also provides recommendations to help policy makers maximize timely, quality data and software sharing and appropriate responses in such health emergencies.