For several years now, the universities of Heidelberg, Milan, Warsaw, Charles University (Prague), and Sorbonne University (Paris) have been organising a training course on open science. This course is primarily aimed at PhD students and, more broadly, at research staff at these universities.
The movement for open science is transforming the academic world. In response, our 4EU+ training programme meets the growing demand for transparency, reproducibility, and collaboration by exploring a broad range of practices, such as open peer review, FAIR and open data, open software, and citizen science. In 2026, we invite you to explore the basics of open science in our introductory webinars followed by six specialized workshops between March and June.
These webinars are open to everyone and will be held online.
Friday, 13 March 2026, 2:00-4:00 PM
Paola Galimberti (University of Milan, Italy) and Pascale Pauplin (Sorbonne University, France)
What is open science, and why does it matter for today’s research ecosystem? Does making research outputs openly available contribute to greater transparency, reproducibility and scientific integrity? This lecture will provide an introduction to the principles, values and key components of open science. Participants will explore its historical development, its objectives, and the challenges it faces, particularly in relation to research assessment and academic incentives.
Thursday, 9 April 2026, 10:00-12:00 AM
Carolina Manfredini (University of Milan, Italy) and Sebastian Zangerle (University of Heidelberg, Germany)
In the open science movement, research data is expected to be as open as possible and as closed as necessary. But what does this mean in practice, especially when dealing with patents, personal data or other sensitive information? This lecture will present the principles of open and FAIR data, research data management and the legal, ethical and institutional frameworks that govern data sharing. Participants will gain an overview of researchers’ rights and obligations and funders’ requirements, as well as guidance on data repositories.
Wednesday, 13 May 2026, 2:00-4:00 PM
Charlotte Bultel (Sorbonne University, France) and Zuza Wiorogorska (University of Warsaw, Poland)
The traditional publishing model requires researchers to publish in journals that charge readers for access. But are there alternative publishing models that make research openly available? And does open access always mean paying to publish? This lecture will present the main scholarly publishing models, their advantages and limitations, and will provide an overview of authors’ rights and obligations in the context of open access.
Thursday, 4 June 2026, 2:00-4:00 PM
Nicolas Alarcon (Sorbonne University, France) and Laura Giovinazzi (University of Milan, Italy)
Research assessment has traditionally relied on quantitative citation-based indicators. However, these bibliometric approaches have revealed significant limitations and biases. This lecture will introduce the foundations of bibliometrics and explore current reforms in research assessment. We will examine the principles of responsible research evaluation, emerging alternatives to citation metrics, and the links between open science practices and evolving assessment frameworks.
These workshops are open to everyone and will be held online. They will focus on putting into practice what was covered in the webinars. Active participation in the exercises part is expected from those who register.
Two dates are scheduled for each workshop to encourage discussion within smaller groups. Please register for only one date per workshop.
Important: Please note that registration for the workshops will only open once the corresponding webinars have taken place.
Tuesday, 28 April 2026, 10:00-12:00 AM
Tuesday, 5 May 2026, 10:00-12:00 AM
Meriç Akdogan (Sorbonne University, France), Laura Giovinazzi (University of Milan, Italy), Milan Janíček (Charles University, Czech Republic) and Carolina Manfredini (University of Milan, Italy)
A Data Management Plan (DMP) is a key research data management tool and a mandatory requirement for many funded projects. This hands-on workshop will allow the participants to analyse a partially completed DMP for a fictional research project and to contribute to the completion of key sections. To participate in this workshop, attendance at the webinar on open data is strongly recommended.
Friday, 22 May 2026, 10:00-12:00 AM
Wednesday, 27 May 2026, 2:00-4:00 PM
Mathilde Delaunay (Sorbonne University, France), Dagmar Hanzlikova (Charles University, Czech Republic) and Žaneta Procházková (Charles University, Czech Republic)
This workshop will focus on the practical steps involved in identifying suitable journals for open access publishing. Participants will learn how to interpret a journal’s open access policy, including embargo periods, article processing charges (APCs), and self-archiving conditions. Using dedicated tools and databases, participants will explore publishing options relevant to their own disciplinary fields and compare journals in terms of openness, compliance with funders’ requirements and publishing constraints. Attendance at the webinar on open access is strongly recommended to fully benefit from this hands-on workshop.
Wednesday, 10 June 2026, 2:00-4:00 PM
Monday, 22 June 2026, 10:00-12:00 AM
Paola Galimberti (University of Milan, Italy), Anthony Rebours (Sorbonne University, France) and Zuza Wiorogorska (University of Warsaw, Poland)
Working with a large bibliographic corpus in the social sciences or STEM fields? This workshop introduces practical methods for exploring and visualising bibliometric data using dedicated tools. Participants will learn how to represent citation networks and research trends through graphical visualisations with the VOSviewer software, and how to interpret these outputs. Attendance at the webinar on bibliometrics is strongly recommended to fully benefit from this hands-on workshop.
Fill in the registration form for the webinars.