Queen Mary joins the UK Reproducibility Network

UKRN is a national consortium of institutions strategically committed to leading the way on supporting practice that creates open, robust and trustworthy research. UKRN does this by investigating the factors that contribute to robust research,  promoting training activities, and disseminating best practice.

In May 2023 the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee highlighted the role of UKRN in promoting robust research practices, and UKRN has since become a key driver of sector-wide improvements across Open Research and Open Science agenda.

Professor Andrew Livingston, Vice Principal for Research and Innovation at Queen Mary said: “Queen Mary is strongly committed to open research. I am excited by the opportunities for us to contribute to UKRN discussions around best practice”.

Dr Alex Mielke, from the School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences has led the local Queen Mary UKRN network since 2023.

Professor Claudia Cooper, Deputy Vice Principal for Research and Innovation and Culture at Queen Mary, who will be UKRN institutional lead for the University said: “I would like to thank Dr Mielke for his valuable contributions as local lead, and I am delighted he will continue this work and help establish and co-lead a new Community of Practice in Open Science and Reproducibility at Queen Mary. This emerging community will draw together a network of individuals who champion open science to raise the visibility of best practice across the University.”

The Community of Practice will undertake further work to strengthen a culture that supports Open Science and Reproducibility, including focused events, developing training and capacity building opportunities.

Professor Etienne Roesch, based at the University of Reading and Chair of the UKRN Supervisory Board said: “We are pleased to welcome Queen Mary staff to the UKRN community. UKRN is a grassroots initiative built on a simple idea: by working together, we can raise standards and strengthen research practice.”

If you are a Queen Mary staff member who is passionate about open research, you can apply to co-lead the network. For more details about the role and how to apply, visit the Application for co-lead of the CoP in Open Science and Reproducibility form. Applications close at 5pm, Friday 13 March. 

More information can be found on the UKRN website.

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