Equitable Recognition and Reward through Open Science: Disseminating Groningen's Open Research Award across the Netherlands

In 2020, the University of Groningen Library (UB) and the Open Science Community Groningen (OSCG) launched the annual Open Research Award (ORA) together with the event 'Celebrating Openness’ to highlight the many ways in which academics and students make their research more accessible, transparent or reproducible. The award uses a modified lottery system instead of competitive ranking to promote open research practices while reducing bias, increasing diversity, and alleviating academic competition. So far, the ORA has highlighted 75 Open Science activities across all disciplines at the University of Groningen - from Diamond Open Access initiatives to Open Educational Resources development to Citizen Science projects. This workshop aimed to broaden the conversation around fostering a healthy and inclusive Open Science ecosystem and to explore how collaboration in organizing and supporting such initiatives can enhance research practices and strengthen the Open Science culture. The workshop was organized by the current coordinators of the ORA. It included an introduction to the ORA, and a short presentation by a past award recipient (Bettina van Hoven) sharing their experience. This was followed by an open discussion on the following key questions: How can we facilitate and strengthen initiatives that recognize and reward Open Science practices, both from institutional and grassroots perspectives? How can the sustainability of initiatives like the ORA be ensured, especially in times of uncertainty? What strategies can promote the continued relevance and support for such efforts? Insights from the discussion will be compiled and published on an open platform for broader dissemination, and will be incorporated into the upcoming edition of the Open Research Award and efforts to integrate the event within the university infrastructure. The main goal of this workshop was to stimulate the discussion and development of other local recognition and reward initiatives of Open Science practices across the Netherlands.