With preparations for the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2029 underway, the UK Reproducibility Network (UKRN) is re-stating its commitment towards collaboration.
UKRN’s growing membership now represents about 70 institutions. In most cases, they are volunteering time and resource towards joint projects to the benefit of the wider research community. Membership is currently free, and UKRN also maintains independence from both governmental bodies and financial influences. Some of our projects are funded by public research grants and institutional investments.
Whilst we acknowledge the need for and potential benefits of the REF, a core mission of UKRN is to support “responsible research evaluation, transparency in research, and appropriate incentives to promote open research” [1]. Our goal is to promote robust and transparent research practices, and help institutions embed these practices.
Through our Open Research Programme, participating institutions are adopting collaborative approaches to training, sharing approaches to recognising and rewarding open research practices, and engaged in projects to design and pilot indicators of open research. This is intended to ensure we can collectively develop a strong research environment and research culture across the sector.
For better or worse, competition is part of the system that the research community in the UK needs to navigate. However, there are aspects of how we work that are not best approached competitively. UKRN seeks to promote values of openness and collaboration amongst stakeholders – healthy competition where this is appropriate, collaboration and cooperation where this is more appropriate.
This vision of research will continue to guide our efforts and drive our projects, encouraging member institutions to lead by example, working in ways that are to our mutual benefit across the sector.
1 – https://www.ukrn.org/common-statements/
Image credit REF2029