Open Science and Research Winter Conference 3–4 December in Turku saw exploring and experimenting with multilingualism and open science.
The Open Science and Research Winter Conference 2024 gathered Finnish open science experts both in Turku and online. The event was organised by the AVOTT-Secretariat in collaboration with Åbo Akademi and the Helsinki Initiative on Multilingual Scholarly Communication. The programme included presentations examining the relationship between multilingual scholarly communication and open science from various perspectives, as well as meetings of open science expert panels. The event concluded with the presentation of the 2024 National Open Science Awards.
Multilingual scholarly communication and open science are interconnected, for example, from the perspectives of citizen science and the usability of knowledge. A report by the CoARA working group Multilingualism and Language Biases in Research Assessment from Italy highlights that communicating research in national languages is crucial for societal engagement, particularly in terms of inclusivity. At the Winter Conference, for instance, Professor Wilhelm Barner-Rasmussen from Åbo Akademi’s Business Economics Department approached the topic from the perspective of multinational business operations, noting that operating in a single language is a narrow approach also from a commercial standpoint.
To enable a multilingual environment, the event experimented with new Zoom functionalities. Feedback on experiences related to translations and interpretation is being collected via a survey. From the organisers’ perspective, the key takeaway was that effective machine translation, at least in FInnish, is still a long way off in conference settings. While Zoom facilitates interpretation well, the additional cost of interpreter services must also be taken into account.
Instead of short presentations, the 2024 Winter Conference showcased posters in the lobby of Åbo Akademi’s Arken building. Photo: Federation of Finnish Learned Societies (TSV).
New Chairs Elected in Several Expert Panels
Several open science expert panels are heading into the new year with fresh leadership. Nearly all expert groups held chair elections during the Winter Conference, with the exception of the Expert Panel on Open Education, whose leadership remains unchanged. The newly elected chairs are Laura Niemi from the University of Turku (Culture of Open Sholarship), Susanna Nykyri from Tampere University (Open Access), and Jukka Rantasaari from the University of Turku and Mari-Elisa Kuusniemi from the University of Helsinki, who will share the chair position for the Expert Panel on Open Data and Methods.
This year, the expert panel meetings were held consecutively rather than simultaneously, an arrangement aimed at improving communication between the panels. New working groups were initiated in the areas of the culture of open scholarship and open data. Within the Culture of Open Scholarship, a working group focusing on artificial intelligence and open science is set to convene early next year. For Open Data, two working groups were established: one for peer support and another to update the Policy for Open Methods.
The Working Group on Communication on Open Education concluded its tasks, while the Working Group on Open Science Terms, operating under the Culture of Open Scholarship, will continue its work in early 2024 under the FinnARMA network. The working group focusing on the Policy Component for edited collections will wrap up its work, but the policy will be finalised during 2025 by a smaller task force, as per the decision of the National Open Science and Research Steering Group. Task force will include representatives from all key stakeholders.
The working group drafting the Policy Component on the Open Access of Professional Publications, which has been on pause during the autumn, will resume its work at the start of 2025. Interested participants are encouraged to register by the end of this year to facilitate scheduling meetings as soon as possible. Registrations can be sent via email to the group’s secretary, Aleksi Husso, at aleksi.husso@tsv.fi. An updated registration form for expert panels and working groups will be published by January.
The Winter Conference was organised in collaboration with Åbo Akademi and the Helsinki Initiative on Multilingual Scholarly Communication. The photo features members of the Secretariat and Åbo Akademi who participated in the arrangements. Photo: Federation of Finnish Learned Societies (TSV).
The organisers and dates of the 2025 Summer Conference will be announced as soon as possible. The 2025 Winter Conference will be hosted by the University of Helsinki.
Photos: TSV.
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