In 2024 a grant from Open Science NL (OSNL) was awarded with the aim of embedding Open & Responsible Science (ORS) into the Recognition & Rewards (R&R) programme. While Open Science has been one of the key pillars of R&R since the programme's inception, the funding intended to give dedicated emphasis to this component. The initiative focuses on ensuring that contributions to openness in research, education, and engagement are more consistently recognised and appreciated in academic careers.
ORS at EUR is understood as a broad and evolving set of practices, organized into eight subtopics and supported by different teams across the University. Crucially, these practices do not manifest uniformly across disciplines: EUR schools engage with ORS in ways that reflect their research methods, educational priorities, and societal roles. For example, schools with a strong educational focus within their disciplines may prioritize Open Education, while data-intensive disciplines more naturally align with Open Data and FAIR principles.
Rather than applying a one size fits all approach across the institution, the OSNL project was designed to reflect this diversity. Each school identified its own ORS priorities, matching them with disciplinary norms and strategic direction. In some cases, this involved a bottom-up approach - workshops and interactive sessions brought both academic and professional services staff together to explore how ORS connects to their current workflows. In other schools, priorities were defined through centralised discussions on a leadership level, informed by existing practices and future ambitions. Across the University, this resulted in a focused set of ORS priorities—typically three per school. For example, Open Education was considered a priority topic by ESHCC and ESHPM. RSM and ESSB looked to Open Methods as it is an increasingly important topic for these schools. Most of the five schools that were reached during the project identified Open Impact and Engagement as a priority.
These ORS priorities now feed directly into ongoing developments within the R&R programme. As schools design and implement diverse career paths for Full Professors, Associate Professors, and Assistant Professors, ORS-related activities, outputs and competences are being embedded into these career paths. The emerging career frameworks recognize diverse academic contributions across the domains of research, education, engagement, leadership and clinical work, and position ORS as an integral component within each of these domains.
Through incorporating ORS into formal career structures, ORS practices become a non-negotiable component of how academic work is defined and evaluated. Staff who already demonstrate strong ORS practices should feel encouraged that steps are being taken to formally recognise their work. Staff not yet engaging with ORS at the desired level can be guided by these expectations and inspired to adopt such practices, particularly where they support career progression.
Beyond these immediate outcomes, the project has facilitated knowledge exchange across schools and teams. Further work is underway to strengthen the structural connections between ORS and the R&R programme, supporting longer-term integration across the University.
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Erasmus University Rotterdam is modernising its system for recognising and rewarding academic staff to create more room for diverse academic talents and better enable employees to contribute to the University’s mission of creating positive societal impact. That is why EUR kicked off the Recognition & Rewards (R&R) programme in 2020. This OSNL project initiated a close collaboration between the ORS and R&R teams, which aligns with one of the goals of the broader R&R programme “stimulating Open Science”.
Curious what R&R means for you or your School? Get in touch with the contact person for your School for R&R or reach out to the Recognition & Rewards team directly via recognitionandrewards@eur.nl. For questions about ORS, please contact Willem Scholten (willem.scholten@eur.nl).
