On October 22, 2025, as part of International Open Access Week, the Circle U. Alliance, coordinated by Université Paris Cité, hosted the online event Fast Forward Open Science. This half-day of discussions brought together researchers, librarians, data experts, and institutional representatives around a shared goal: accelerating the transition to open science through the exchange of practices, resources, and concrete shared visions.
@by Kim Henze
“Open Science is the practice of science in such a way that others can collaborate and contribute, […] where research processes are freely available, under conditions that enable reuse.”
— Definition from the FOSTER project (Facilitate Open Science Training for European Research)
Nearly 100 participants from the nine Circle U. member universities, as well as from external institutions, took part in the Fast Forward Open Science event, reflecting a strong interest in open science. This diversity of backgrounds highlighted the variety of approaches to open science across European universities. Discussions focused on the four main pillars of open science.
Watch the replay of each round table:
Open Access Publishing
Research Data Management
Open source codes and software
Open educational resources
An advocacy for rethinking Research Assessment Criteria
The event concluded with a shared realization: it is now crucial to fundamentally rethink research assessment methods, following the example of the COARA initiative (Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment). The excessive and exclusive use of bibliometric indicators tends to limit the recognition of diverse contributions and can hinder scientific quality and creativity.
Circle U.’s Continued Commitment
The event also reaffirmed Circle U.’s strong commitment to open science.
Its dedicated working group will continue to disseminate best practices and update existing practical guides in light of the insights shared during the event. These efforts will help to broaden access to shared resources and promote a coherent and collaborative implementation of open science across the European academic landscape.
Speakers
Open Access Publishing
Chiara Letta – Responsible for institutional repository at the University of Pisa
Kirsten Hilliger – Coordinator for Universities Publishing at Humboldt University
Laurent Gatto – Director of the Computational Biology and Bioinformatics at UCLouvain
Research Data Management
Christophe Perales – Deputy Director General for Libraries and Museums at UPCité
Joëlle Desterbecq – Research Data Management Advisor at UCLouvain
Margaret Fotland – Senior advisor at Department of Research and Innovation Administration, University of Oslo
Open Source Codes and software
Mickaël Menager – Vice President of Open Science, Université Paris Cité
Roberto Di Cosmo – Director of Software Heritage, Université Paris Cité
Laurent Gatto – Director of the Computational Biology and Bioinformatics at UCLouvain
Open Educational Ressources
Sophie Depoterre – Educational Advisor at the UCLouvain Learning Lab
Lisbeth Brevick – Open Campus Chair at the University of Oslo
Charlotte Birnbaum-Nyberg – WP4 Coordinator Circle U.
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