Insights from Helsinki: Exploring Open Science and Responsible Research Assessment

In May, we embarked on a journey that blended exploration, collaboration, and inspiration in the heart of Finland, in Helsinki. From the bustling RESSH 2025 Conference to the insightful sessions at Hanken School of Economics, our time in Helsinki was nothing short of transformative.

RESSH Conference: Workshop as a starting point

Our journey began at the RESSH Conference with a workshop titled “Reforming Research Evaluation in SSH: Embracing Open Science for Diversity, Interdisciplinarity, and Inclusivity,” expertly moderated by Marta Świetlik. Here, drawing from initiatives like ARRA and CoARA, we delved into the challenges of current research assessment systems. Together, we brainstormed solutions rooted in the principles of Open Science, setting the stage for a week of deep exploration.

Photo: SCIROS Workshop session during RESSH Conference

Hanken School of Economics: A Dive into Innovation

At Hanken School of Economics, we were privileged to engage with a spectrum of pioneering projects alongside our SCIROS partners and distinguished scholars and librarians from Finland. Here are some highlights that left a lasting impression:

• Haris (Hanken Research Database) & Open Access – Margareta Danielsson and Qingbo Xu shared insights on leveraging open access to drive research impact.
• TREASURE: Rewarding Graduate Students for Open, Reproducible Research – Inês A. T. Almeida (Universidade de Coimbra) introduced a groundbreaking initiative.
• University of Helsinki Data Catalogue – Niina Nurmi showcased efforts in promoting research data as valuable outputs.
• Transparency and Reproducibility in Research Assessment – Tugce Karatas (University of Luxembourg) highlighted efforts towards fair evaluation practices.
• Valuing High-Quality Data in Assessments – Mikael Laakso posed critical questions on data evaluation.
• Doubly Undervalued: Assessing Digital Scholarly Editions in Poland – Agnieszka Szulińska shed light on challenges in digital scholarship.
• Supporting Open Scholarship at the National Library of Finland – Riitta Koikkalainen discussed initiatives at the National Library.
• Monitoring Open Science in Finland – Laura Himanen emphasized the importance of responsible assessment.
• Promoting Open Access Publishing – Markku Roinila shared strategies to encourage widespread access to research findings.

And let’s not forget our mobile podcast studio, capturing the vibrant voices and insights of our speakers and guests, ensuring that these conversations resonate far beyond Helsinki.

Photo: Big Open Science Podcast mobile studio

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