By Michelle van den Berk
Much of the communication around open science focuses on inspiring, innovative large-scale projects that introduce significant change through new approaches and substantial funding. While these initiatives can be motivating, they may also feel somewhat distant or even discouraging. How do you translate these developments into your own day-to-day research practice?
That question was central during the NIDI Open Science Day on 2 March. On behalf of the DANS Training Team, I joined my colleagues Loek Brinkman and René van Horik in delivering two sessions on FAIR data and open science, with a focus on practical steps that researchers can apply directly in their own work. It was a valuable opportunity to engage with researchers and fellow professionals about open science and the sharing of FAIR data.
During our sessions, we deliberately focused on practical applications. There are now many inspiring examples of large-scale open science initiatives, but for many researchers and data professionals, change often begins with small and achievable steps. Examples include creating an account on platforms such as Zenodo, GitHub or Open Science Framework, writing a data management plan, or improving the documentation of research data. We wanted toshow that researchers can already take meaningful steps at an individual level, without requiring large amounts of additional time or resources. We also discussed how the services provided by DANS can support the sustainablemanagement, sharing and reuse of research data.
Open science into practice
The NIDI Open Science Day gained additional momentum through a challenge organised by the committee — consisting of Esma Betül Savaş, Alex Kortink, Christian Czymara, Konstantin Schmandt, Lin Rouvroye, and Yuri Pettinicchi. Participants could earn points by carrying out concrete open science activities, such as publishing a preprint, sharing work through open platforms, or archiving data in a repository. On 13 April, prizes were awarded tothe colleagues who had taken the most steps in this area. This practical approach ensured that open science was not only discussed, but also actively put into practice.
Another important part of the day focused on science communication. Ruben van Gaalen from the CBS gave a presentation on making complex statistical information accessible to a broad audience. Drawing on examples from dailypractice, he demonstrated the importance of clear communication, particularly at a time when misinformation spreads rapidly through social media. Making knowledge available is one step, but ensuring that knowledge is understandable and usable for different audiences is equally important.
Besides being a valuable opportunity to demonstrate what DANS can offer to the KNAW institutes, the day also connected closely to the European PATTERN project, which we have worked on over the past few years. Within thisproject, fourteen European institutions jointly developed training materials for open and responsible research practices. All materials are available under a CC BY licence, allowing others to reuse and adapt them within their owneducational and training contexts. More information about the materials is available via the PATTERN training materials.
About the DANS Training Team
DANS is the national centre of expertise for research data, and training and workshops are a core part of this work. DANS has a multidisciplinary Training Team that provides training and workshops for researchers, institutions and data professionals on making research data sustainably findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable. The team is led by Training Coordinator Dr Deborah Thorpe.
The Training Team has identified a series of thematic areas to focus on in each month of 2026. These are highlighted on the DANS website, in the DataLink newsletter, and on social media. To find out more about DANS Training, you can visit the relevant page on the website or contact the team by email.
