The Open Research Award
The Open Research Award recognizes the achievements of researchers who actively engage in making research more collaborative and equitable and improve knowledge sharing and dissemination.
The winners of the 2023 edition of the Open Research Award are:
Vital Mountains
Team: Federica Maino, Federica Benatti, Renzo Provedel.
The "Vital Mountains" project involved the entire community of Tre Ville, a municipality of 1,374 inhabitants in western Trentino, in elaborating a local development plan. The research team worked with citizens, administrators, and economic operators to make the community an active player in its own development and provide it with the tools to enhance its potential, values and identity. Sarahanne Field, from Leiden University and a member of the jury, comments: "The project follows the principles of responsibility, respect and accountability characterized by a strong emphasis on collaboration, participation and inclusion."
The Eurac Research biobank
Team: Alessandro De Gandi + Institute for Biomedicine.
Biological samples and data from the CHRIS study conducted by the Institute for Biomedicine in the Vinschgau Valley are stored in an open-source biobank at the Bolzano hospital. Anyone can request access to the data by submitting a research project. The data in the biobank are also available to the local health system, which can draw information from them to implement health policies. For further information read the article So, what’s a biobank actually for? - Eurac Research Barbara Heinisch of the University of Vienna and a member of the jury says: "The data collected in the database allow for transparency and reproducibility. The careful handling of the data of the study participants demonstrates the responsibility of the researchers." Read more.
Alpine Drought Observatory
Team: Peter Zellner, Mohammad Alasawedah, Michele Claus, Bartolomeo Ventura, Alexander Jacob (Institute for Earth Observation), Thomas Iacopino (Communication), Luca Cattani (ICT), Andrea Vianello (Center for Sensing Solutions), Giacomo Bertoldi (Institute for Alpine Environment).
The Alpine Drought Observatory is an online tool that provides an overview of drought in the Alpine region through maps and graphs. It includes satellite, meteorological and hydrological data and tracks its progress over time. Data from all Alpine countries are harmonized and optimized in high resolutions. Barbara Heinisch says: "The Observatory is clearly focused on open infrastructure, data and code. The platform ensures a collective benefit for researchers and other stakeholders, including the public. It enables interdisciplinary reuse of data and its sustainable preservation." Peter Zellner on open science: https://www.eurac.edu/en/magazine/together-in-the-cloud