È un bene per la ricerca scientifica di frontiera che i risultati di studi e ricerche siano liberamente accessibili alla comunità scientifica e al pubblico? Questa domanda è stata al centro di un incontro che si è svolto martedì 19 marzo nel Palazzo della Sapienza dell’Università di Pisa che ha visto protagonisti i vertici degli enti di ricerca europei, del mondo accademico e dell’editoria scientifica internazionale. L’evento era organizzato in collaborazione con Science Business e faceva parte di ERC=Science².
Erano presenti fra gli altri insieme al rettore dell’Ateneo pisano Paolo Mancarella, il vice presidente dell’European Research Council, Fabio Zwirner, la vice-presidente della Regione Toscana Monica Barni e il presidente del CNR Massimo Inguscio. Per l’Università di Pisa sono intervenuti anche i vincitori dei finanziamenti dell'European Research Council - Paola Binda, Gianluca Fiori e Benedetta Mennucci - accanto al prorettore per la ricerca in ambito europeo e internazionale Lisandro Benedetti-Cecchi.
Paolo Mancarella e Monica Barni.
Dopo la conferenza internazionale di aprile dello scorso anno e l'incontro di giugno sulla proposta della Commissione Europea, quello in Sapienza è stato il terzo appuntamento che l'Università di Pisa ha organizzato in vista di "Horizon Europe", il Programma Quadro europeo per la ricerca e l’innovazione 2021-2027. La “Scienza aperta” o “Open Science” è infatti un tema di straordinario rilievo, oltre che di grande attualità, dato che la Commissione Europea chiede di rendere liberamente disponibili le pubblicazioni scientifiche e i dati della ricerca. L’incontro in Sapienza ha sviluppato una riflessione sul tema cercando di offrire un proprio contributo su come la ricerca di frontiera possa realmente beneficiare di un approccio aperto alla scienza, senza tuttavia rinunciare ai suoi tratti distintivi in termini di qualità e competitività.
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Qui di seguito si pubblica l’intervento del rettore Paolo Mancarella che ha introdotto la giornata.
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The future of frontier research: is there a “good way” to Open Science?
With great pleasure, I greet and welcome you to this opportunity to debate frontier research and its link with the Open Science Processes. We will discuss today with leading representatives of Italian and international institutions and bodies, qualified representatives of the scientific publishing and the academic world, along with the European Research Council grantees of our university. I am deeply grateful to all the panellists and particularly to the ERC Vice President, Fabio Zwirner, for accepting our invitation.
Da sinistra: Vincenzo Vespri, del MIUR, Philipp Kircher, European University Institute e University of Edinburgh, ERC grantee, Massimo Inguscio, presidente CNR Italia, Fabio Zwirner, vice presidente dell'European Research Council.
After last April international conference and the meeting in June on the proposal of the European Commission, this meeting today is the third event planned by the University of Pisa in preparation of "Horizon Europe", under the coordination of the Vice Rector for European and International Research, Professor Lisandro Benedetti-Cecchi and the Research and Technology Transfer Division. As in in the past, this event is organized in cooperation with Science Business and in this occasion also with the "ERC = Science2" project.
I also wish to recall the attention our University pays to the development of the Horizon Europe Program and to remember, with great pleasure, the recent establishment of the Belgian association TOUR4EU (Tuscan Organization of Universities and Research 4 Europe), which includes Regione Toscana and the seven Tuscan universities and schools. In this regard, I wish to greet Prof Monica Barni, vice-president of the Regione Toscana and president of TOUR4EU, and Dr Simona Costa, Director of TOUR4EU. I congratulate them both for the significant results of these very first months of activity, which stimulate to go ahead on the process we have started.
Philipp Kircher, European University Institute e University of Edinburgh.
These initiatives aim to strengthen the international competitiveness of our University on the international research scene, promoting the dialogue with those stakeholders "at the forefront" in the connection between the Italian research reality and the European institutions. This is how we could help to better define, in the appropriate venue, the perspectives of the Italian Academy, ahead of the negotiations, now at a crucial phase, on the final text of the European Framework Program for Research and Innovation 2021-2027.
Maryline Fiaschi, Managing Director, Science|Business.
In this context, Open Science is an extraordinarily crucial issue, as well as extremely topical, now that the European Commission asks the scientific publications and research data to be immediately available, free of charge and indefinitely reusable. As we all know, from the 1 January 2020, scientific publications resulting from funded research will have to be published in open access journals or on open access platforms, or in hybrid journals as long as they have committed with a transformative agreement to switch to full Open Access within a defined time frame.
Da sinistra: Michael Markie Publishing Director, Life Sciences, F1000 Research, Claudio Colaiacomo, Vice President, Global Academic Relations, Elsevier, Gianluca Fiori, professore all'Università di Pisa e ERC Grantee, Frederick Fenter, Executive Editor, Frontiers, Lisandro Benedetti Cecchi, prorettore alla Ricerca europea dell'Università di Pisa.
It is a perspective that involves fundamental aspects of the research system, if only we consider the evaluation criteria definition, and it requires a drastic revision of the current "ground rules" of the scientific publishing system. The extensive debate, been unleashed on a global scale, has made clear that this process might encompass many positive features: for instance and above all, the guarantee of more widespread, democratic and free access to research results. Nevertheless, we also have to consider controversial aspects that could compromise the system that currently ensures the quality of research.
Paola Binda, ERC grantee Università di Pisa.
Today's event, therefore, is meant to develop an open and balanced reflection on Open Science, trying to offer its contribution on how frontier research could benefit from an open approach, never refraining from its distinctive traits in terms of quality and competitiveness.
Benedetta Mennucci, ERC grantee Università di Pisa.
As its Statute defines, the University of Pisa endorses the principles of open access and has always committed to implementing institutional policies, with the aim at developing open access and promoting the international visibility of Italian research. With a clear concern of the forthcoming challenges, the University has recently established a specific Commission for the open access to scientific literature under the coordination of our Vice-Rector for National Research, Professor Claudia Martini. This Commission has developed an Open Access incentive proposal targeted for our faculty authors, with the aim of implementing the inclusion of research products on our institutional research archive (Iris Arpi) and complying with the principles of open access.
Our discussion today might act as a stimulus, along with other initiatives that will soon be planned in this regard, thus representing an adequate disclosure and awareness opportunity to the entire university community on Open Science.
Paolo Mancarella