Lero’s Dr Patrick Healy (University of Limerick) will lead one of 13 new consortia-based projects designed to advance the implementation of the National Action Plan for Open Research 2022-2030 and to build national capacity and infrastructure for open research.

The project, Managing Open Source Software in Irish Universities [MOSS-I], is valued at €100,000 and funded by Ireland’s National Open Research Forum (NORF)’s Open Research Fund 2023, provided by the Higher Education Authority (HEA).

“Open Source Software (OSS) and tools are a critical component of today's internet, and form a critical part of Open Research practices. Yet, today in Ireland, there is no consistent approach or advice offered from Irish universities about how best to use, contribute to or produce OSS. Though not unique to Ireland, we aim to address these challenges in an Irish context by investigating international best practices for University OSS strategies with the goal of developing clear recommendations for OSS creation and management in Irish universities,” explained Dr Healy, Associate Professor at the Department of Computer Science and Information Systems, UL.

Commenting on the funding announcement, Dr Louise Callinan, Head of Research at the Higher Education Authority, said: “The HEA is delighted to support the second tranche of projects under the Open Research Fund, which aims to enable Ireland’s transition to an open research environment. The 13 multistakeholder projects announced today respond to priority actions in the National Action Plan for Open Research and demonstrate the leading role of the wider research community in advancing open research in Ireland. The projects will help to build capacity in open research practices and enhance the national and international visibility of our research.”

Dr Daniel Bangert, National Open Research Coordinator, added: “These projects will deliver key aspects of the National Action Plan for Open Research and accelerate Ireland’s transition to an open research environment. NORF is delighted to support these projects and the broad range of stakeholder groups involved, including higher education institutions, disciplinary communities, research centres, librarians and researchers. Together they further demonstrate the momentum and collaboration underway across Ireland to achieve national ambitions for open research.”

An official launch of the projects takes place in November 2023 at Ireland’s inaugural National Open Research Festival.