Training Coordinators

Community of Practice

informal network to share training experiences

What it is

The Community of Practice (CoP) for Open Science Training is an informal, community-led network of Open Science training coordinators, hosted by OpenAIRE. It serves as a collaborative space for those who plan and oversee training activities to exchange experiences, share best practices, and improve Open Science training initiatives. The CoP focuses on enhancing training capacity through better alignment of activities, cross-infrastructure collaborations, and knowledge sharing.
The CoP meets every third Wednesday of the month, providing interactive discussions, presentations, and networking opportunities. Members gain access to valuable resources, materials, and expert insights to support Open Science education.

Key Topics and Past Presentations

Each meeting includes presentations and discussions on critical Open Science training topics. Recent sessions have covered ethics and research integrity in AI, focusing on responsible AI use in research and integrating ethics into training. Discussions have also highlighted the Open Science Learning Gate (GATE), a collaborative initiative developing community-driven Open Science education standards. Another key topic has been the challenges in adapting training materials and solutions for modular and adaptable content. Sessions have explored the flipped classroom approach, emphasizing how engaging participants with materials before training sessions can improve learning outcomes. Additionally, the Skills4EOSC FAIR-by-Design Methodology has been examined, ensuring Open Science training materials align with FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) principles.
CoP members have also participated in major events, including the EOSC Winter School, discussions on Open Science skills and recognition, and collaborations on research software training and policies.

Objectives for 2025

Looking ahead, the CoP aims to:

Expand community engagement.
Promote Collaborative Initiatives – synergies with ongoing projects such as Skills4EOSC, PATTERN, and ROSiE.
Strengthen collaborations with UNESCO & EOSC to align activities with global Open Science policies and initiatives.
Advance discussions on ethics and research integrity, particularly in relation to Open Science training and AI.
Promote recognition frameworks for Open Science training materials.

Activities

One of the outcomes of the EUDAT project final conference, which focused on developing a pan-European infrastructure for research data management, was to set up several training workshops across Europe. The EUDAT team, along with OpenAIRE, proposed to continue collaboration, independent of projects, in a bottom-up initiative for the CoP. The idea was welcomed at the education and training group of the RDA and OpenAIRE has taken up coordination activities.

The CoP has since evolved from various Open Science training initiatives within OpenAIRE and related networks, linking to key European projects and communities that support Open Science skills development. These include Skills4EOSC, which focuses on building a sustainable skills framework; the PATTERN Project, which explores Open Responsible Research and Innovation (Open RRI) training approaches; and ROSiE, which addresses responsible Open Science education. The CoP is also connected to The Embassy of Good Science, a resource for ethical research practices and integrity training, and collaborates with initiatives such as ELIXIR, which develops training resources for life sciences, and FORRT, which promotes open and reproducible research training. In addition, it works with training platforms like DARIAH-Campus, supporting digital humanities, and LearningApps.org, a free tool for creating interactive training activities. The CoP is further embedded in the broader Open Science community through its engagement with OSFAIR, a key event for collaboration, and other cross-infrastructure efforts.

Membership

Since the start of the CoP in September 2018, training coordinators from several projects, including those contributing to the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC), e.g. EOSCpilot, EOSC-hub, and those involved in other European projects have participated. Membership has grown to include a very diverse group from diverse backgrounds and includes some members from outside Europe too. The CoP is for training coordinators in communities, projects and research infrastructures and in the list below the current members are listed with their affiliation, project or research infrastructure. If you would like to learn more or are interested in joining, please get in touch! Membership is free and activities are community driven.