Open science: transparant, publicly available research
One of the guiding principles for research at UMC Utrecht is the transition to Open Science; a way of doing science where the entire research process – from prioritizing to the publication of results – is made public and transparent and where we involve society in the research phase whenever we can. In this we work together with Utrecht University.
Together with Utrecht University we put together a Open Science Team in 2022 to study various Open Science topics further and to implement them. In line with the normalizing of open research practices, Utrecht University in 2023 adjusted the organization and set up a large portion of these activities at the faculties. At UMC Utrecht we are keeping the Open Science team up and running. It consists of a widely chosen group of researchers and other research professionals, chaired by the dean.
In 2023 a total of 84% of our scientific publications were published with Open Access.
Open Acces scientific publications
An important aspect in Open Science is the free Open Access publication of scientific articles. This makes our scientific research results accessible to everyone online and helps maximize their dissemination. In 2023, a total of 84% of our scientific publications were published with Open Access (85% in 2022, and 79% in 2021). We also made preparations to make all scientific publications from UMC Utrecht as of 2024 openly accessible six months after they appeared, regardless of the journal in which they were published.
Wide appreciation of researchers
At UMC Utrecht we are developing new career profiles for the appointment of new associated professors , which we have been using in a pilot since 2022. In 2023 the Executive Board of UMC Utrecht formally defined these profiles. This rounds of the development phase. The profiles are: Implementation Researcher, Clinical Researcher, Exploratory Researcher, Methodology & Technology Researcher, Academic Educator, and Valorization Researcher. These profiles are in line with our focus on Open Science and our talent program ‘Research Development Program’. It is accompanied by an evaluation system (Recognize and Appreciate), in which the scope of academic activities and both individual and team achievements are recognized. The accent is on quality rather than quantity, and all aspects of Open Science and academic leadership are encouraged. UMC Utrecht is one of the pioneers of this broader appreciation of researchers. At the start of the academic year in 2023 this led to countrywide media coverage for UMC Utrecht career profiles.
Emphasis on cooperation rather than competition
UMC Utrecht decided together with Utrecht University as of 2023 no longer to participate in the worldwide Times Higher Education ranking of universities. We put the emphasis on cooperation and Open Science rather than scores and competition. It is also virtually impossible to capture the quality of all educational programs and subjects in an entire university or university medical center in a single figure. Those who make these rankings moreover use data and methods that are highly disputable, as studies have shown. Universities for instance have to spend a lot of their own time on delivering the right kind of information. Utrecht University is the first Dutch knowledge institution that is no longer participating in the Times Higher Education ranking, but all Dutch universities have agreed to pay less attention to university rankings.
