Helmut W. Klug, MA, PhD

An Open Science Policy for the University of Graz

As part of Flagship Project 2, "High Potentials in Research," targeted efforts have been made in recent years to structurally strengthen open science at the University of Graz and integrate it into everyday university life. The aim of these activities is to raise awareness of and promote open science issues, while at the same time developing a sustainable strategy for the long-term development of open science and its integration into existing processes (e.g. publication and data practices, support structures, training opportunities). A key outcome will be the publication of a joint open science statement in the form of a policy document that provides guidance, clarifies responsibilities and addresses specific areas of action.

These developments are taking place in the context of conflicting research cultures and performance pressure, between data protection and research security, and a lack of incentive systems and scarce resources. This is precisely why an approach is needed that combines principles (transparency, reusability, accountability) with practical feasibility (workflows, support, realistic requirements).

In the webinar, we will present the work done so far in the project, the underlying strategic considerations and the current draft of an open science policy for the University of Graz.

Helmut W. Klug is the coordinator for research data management and open science at the University Library of Graz. He studied German and English/American studies, specialising in medieval German studies, and applies digital methods in his research on topics such as medieval plants, culinary history and science communication. Most recently, he has focused particularly on digital editions and has been involved in several national and international projects at the interface of digital humanities, food culture history and research infrastructure projects with an open science orientation, either in a leading or supporting role. In the field of research data management and open science, he develops concepts and events for the open and sustainable handling of digital research data, designs training courses and advises researchers on the planning, documentation and archiving of their data.