Open Science

At the University of Vaasa, we comply with good scientific practice and Finnish law, as well as national and international recommendations concerning open science. The university will monitor and evaluate the level and development of open science.

Responsible open science is an essential part of our scientific activities. It encompasses scientific publications, research materials, research methods and research culture. Open science supports the dissemination and impact of scientific research within the scientific community and society at large.

Open publication of research results and materials increases the visibility and impact of research. References to publications and materials contribute to a researcher's academic merits. Opening up and communicating about the research process and methods enchances the credibility and visibility of the research. This visibility opens new opportunities for collaboration between researchers and for profiling the university.

The University of Vaasa's Open Science Implementation Plan complements the Open Science Policy and Principles document. The implementation plan includes practical guidelines for researchers concerning open science practices and identifies the parties responsible for various areas of open science. 

The principles of open science have been further specified in the principles of Open Education and Open Educational Resources and the University of Vaasa Data Policy, which were adopted during the summer of 2024 and are available to personnel on the intranet.

Principles of openness concerning research publications

• The University of Vaasa requires its researchers to publish openly whenever possible. Researchers' scientific publications (articles, chapters in books, monographs, conference publications, etc.) are made open access by parallel storage in the publication archive Osuva and by publishing them in Open Access publication channels. Hybrid open access publication is also possible as an interim solution toward full open access publication. The University allocates funds to cover the costs related to publication and openness.
• Doctoral dissertations, licentiate theses, Bachelor's and Master’s theses are published in electronic format in the University of Vaasa's publication archive Osuva. As part of the supervision process, the supervisor must ensure that this is possible. In the case of dissertations, in particular, the supervisor must ensure that the articles/essays or monograph that comprise the dissertation can be openly published.
• The University encourages its researchers to communicate about their research more extensively than just through traditional channels, for example in professional publications or on social media.
• The University of Vaasa's researchers should obtain an international ORCID researcher identifier to help identify their scientific activities and increase their visibility.

Principles of openness concerning research data and research methods

• The University of Vaasa encourages its researchers to publish their research data and methods openly in accordance with the FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable).
• When opening research data, confidentiality, privacy and data security are taken into account. Furthermore, laws, decrees and agreements impact the opening of research data. Issues relating to the ownership and copyright of the data are agreed upon in research projects.
• We also encourage the opening up of research methods, including algorithms used and publishing the generated code as open source.
• After the completion of a study or research project, national services, such as the Fairdata services and the Finnish Social Science Data Archive, are utilised in the publication and long-term storage of research data.

Principles of an open operating culture

In accordance with the strategy of the University of Vaasa, our goal is to establish ourselves as an esteemed participant within local and global innovation networks and to collaborate with exceptional international academic research partners. We operate and create value as part of an ecosystem. In addition to digital interactions and personal contacts, the campus, renovated into a modern meeting place, brings together academics, companies, and partners. All this promotes the openness of our research infrastructure and thus the realisation of open science.

The University of Vaasa takes the perspectives of open science into account when building the career paths of researchers and assessing their merits.

In addition to the areas of open science and research, the University of Vaasa supports and develops the openness and accessibility of learning and learning materials.

The University of Vaasa and the science library Tritonia offer training and support related to open science.

• Further information about open science: openscience@uwasa.fi