Press Release

PRESS RELEASE

For immediate release

Brussels, June 30, 2021

The BE OPEN project is making a step forward in the operationalisation of open science in transport with the launch of TOPOS Observatory & Forum, the Open Research Gateway for Transport Research.

Open Science presents a novel approach to practice science, in a way that increases openness, integrity, reproducibility of research and faster progress. It aims at making scientific process and results more transparent and accessible at all levels and to everyone. It allows to make science more efficient through better sharing of resources, more reliable through better verification and more responsive to society’s needs.

To support the implementation of Open Science in the transport domain, the European BE OPEN project was launched. In two years’ time, the BE OPEN project succeeded in:

(1) Establishing a common understanding of Open Science in transport research by putting forward the main principles and practices of open science, identifying the needs, benefits and means to ensure an appropriate and sustainable implementation and uptake.

(2) Engaging key transport stakeholders and creating legal specifications for Code of Conduct on Open Science and Key Performance Indicators for evaluating transport research that uses Open Science. Also proposing a roadmap to promote Open Science in transport research.

(3) Building a solid knowledge base on the implementation of Open Science approaches in transport research, opportunities, synergies and integration with EOSC.

(4) Finally, BE OPEN has set up the TOPOS forum and observatory, a single-entry point to explore, share and discuss research knowledge, data, publications, software and other information relevant to transport and mobility research. TOPOS is an online platform customized for transport research organisations and individuals. As a gateway it offers different services adapted to those users.

From the TOPOS Observatory for organisations, companies, universities and research centers have access to a vast number of research outputs related to transport research, following open science guidelines and best practices by design. The platform is linked to the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC) and connected to the services of OpenAIRE.

The TOPOS Observatory for individuals is offering an open professional network where professors, students, researchers and experts in science and technology can share and access knowledge and their scientific work. It is also opened to citizens who are interested in learning more about transport research.

Lastly, the TOPOS Forum, providing the stage for the exchange of ideas and share best practices for operationalising Open Science principles in transport research.

We warmly invite you to visit [file:///C:\Users\Ana\Desktop\topos-observatory.eu topos-observatory.eu] and embark in this amazing journey of open and collaborative research.

For more project results visit: beopen-project.eu/

Enquiries concerning the BE OPEN project and TOPOS can be sent to: Caroline Alméras ECTRI Secretary-General and BE OPEN Dissemination and Engagement Leader, caroline.almeras@ectri.org

The BE OPEN project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 824323.