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It is a great honour and pleasure to be in the “pantheon” of intelligence and grace and beauty and knowledge and quality, quality, quality.
Thank you to the Academy for hosting this event exactly here.
And thank you to the Danish National Research Foundation. It’s of great importance that you use the opportunity of your annual meeting to bring our attention to one of the major current challenges in the world of research. And therefore I’m very happy to participate.
The Greek mama’s recipe
As you might know – well, some of you at least – many years ago – many years ago – I went to law school. Let’s not discuss how long time I actually studied there. I finished my degree. Not many politicians can say that. At least they are normally the ones that say that people should hurry through. I can understand their result.
Well, anyway, I was once told – and I sincerely hope it’s a true story – of the first known example of legal restrictions on using someone else’s data.
What do you think it was? One of da Vinci’s brilliant inventions? The Romans’ technique for making everlasting concrete?
No: A recipe for a Greek mama’s signature dish. Forged in ancient Athens. At the bottom of the recipe was written that nobody else was entitled to reproduce the wonder.
Now I don’t know about you. But I think that it would have been quite a pity if the Moussaka hadn’t been shared with the rest of the world. Or whatever magical thing it was she had actually cooked up. Why, maybe the Italians wouldn’t have been inspired to invent the lasagna – and then we’d actually be in real trouble.
Benefits of open data
The very existence of mankind is based on knowledge. Knowledge is the reason we’ve done so well for ourselves as species.
It’s the reason one city might do better than its neighbours.
So it’s very natural that we’re keen to keep our knowledge to ourselves.
But today, I’d like to talk to you about the potential in doing just the opposite: The potential of sharing knowledge. The potential of researchers sharing their data.
As I see it, the advantages of open data are many.
First of all of course, efficiency. The everlasting political word, “efficiency”: Time and resources are saved when a researcher can re-use another’s data rather than collecting everything anew.
As we say in Denmark: “You don’t have to invent the deep bowl twice”.
In that way we can avoid useless repetition of studies that has already been carried out several times.
Secondly, of course, it also allows for greater transparency: Open data means that previous studies may be repeated and tested by somebody else – in turn creating a clearer picture of what exactly the study shows.
And third – and in these days not least important – open data may also lead to more interdisciplinary research – which is an area of great potential. If data on, for instance, social sciences are open, the mathematician will, doubtlessly, be more inclined to run calculations based on them.
Take for instance Professor in Chemistry at Aarhus University, Kim Daasbjerg.
He is trying to develop smart materials. For instance, re-generating fabrics, like a shoe that mends itself if it gets a scratch. I would love that for my children at least. Or a multi-functional material you can use for 3D-printing that may be hard or soft, strong or moldable, depending on how you process it.
And he’s going about it in a very open way – he calls it “the SPOMAN Open Science Initiative”. All data under this initiative is open. Available for anyone interested – free of charge.
Why? Because Daasbjerg is curious about what might happen if the right minds get hands on his data.
He’s even invited a team of researchers from different universities, students and manufacturing companies to take part in his fundamental research projects.
And according to him, the result is promising.
Cooperating across research institutes while drawing on the industry’s experience seems to be a powerful combination.
What’s more: The initiative allows the companies to gain access to the latest research at the universities – which is usually difficult to smaller businesses. A challenge, which is very important to this country.
I’ve understood that there’s already one of the participants who’s about to market a new product based on this cooperation.
I can’t help but think that there must be a significant potential in open data.
Disadvantages of open data
Now, with all these benefits, why don’t we have open data everywhere already?
Well, there are significant challenges related to open data, too.
For one, money: It’s expensive to run and maintain a data platform serving any researcher with every piece of research data.
Secondly, secrets: Some data are sensitive and can-not be disclosed to anyone or anybody. If we want someone to trust us with their data, we can’t necessarily share it with everybody and anybody.
And then we have the researchers. I’ve been told that not all of you – or them – are thrilled about the idea of open data. And I understand them. Nobody likes their work being copied! We all hate annoying freeloaders. I’m not going to mention any names from my “business” but … I certainly understand the feelings. I get it.
You’ve had a brilliant idea for a political initiative, you’ve made all the preparatory work to put it forward – and come press announcement day, everyone tries to steal your thunder.
So nobody likes that.
But then in the political world I think of the number 34: That’s the number of seats my party, Venstre, the Danish liberal party, possesses in Parliament. If you’re in doubt, I’m a party man … Some say I should be impartial. Well, I’m not. I’m a party man. Not impartial.
Well, 34 out of the total 179 seats … And all of a sudden, I start feeling more cooperative …
Facilitating open data
So we’re considering what’s the researcher’s “number 34”. Might we create incentives that will make researchers want to share their research data openly?
Because as things are, researchers are mainly merited by two other numbers: The number of times they’re quoted and the number of times they’re published in “high impact journals”. For instance, they don’t get credit for helping their colleagues by sharing data.
And making data available takes time.
Particularly since simply making your data available isn’t enough. It won’t get other people far, necessarily.
You also need to explain what the data mean and how to use them.
That’s why the participants in the SPOMAN Open Science Initiative I mentioned before don’t just upload their data on a digital platform.
They also meet regularly to share, explain and discuss their findings.
Data have to be easy to find, access and understand in order to be of any value.
So it’s definitely not easy. And it’s not black or white. Currently, my Ministry is analysing if the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. And we’re not finished yet.
If we want open data, we should make it more interesting to share open data. To make the researchers want to share.
I don’t believe in making anyone share their work against their will. Except for monopolies, of course, but that’s a totally different story. I’m thinking of Amazon and Google and all that … You know, what Theodore Roosevelt did with Standard Oil and all the big companies …
But anyway. I don’t think it’ll work – and I don’t like the notion of interfering with the individual’s right to the fruit of his labour.
And we’re already in this country having the discussion of freedom of research. How do we look at it in that context?
But what I do believe is that openness can create value. That the more research we share, the more research will be have a chance to be transformed into innovation to the benefit of the common good. Or to “society”, if you prefer that word – even though Margaret Thatcher said: “Society – there’s no such thing as society”.
Each year, vast sums are invested in science and research. Why shouldn’t the fruits of this be shared with society at large to the benefit of all?
We should, of course, go about it in a clever way. And – as I said – that’s something we’re still considering.
Of course, we welcome your thoughts on the matter. And just like science and data, they will make a great difference if you share them.
So for this reason I’ll thank you very much for this opportunity to address you. And thank you for the attention.