During its 2024 International Conference in Tokyo, the International Association of Universities (IAU) presented a report titled “Open Science: The Challenge for Universities”, opens an external URL in a new window. It calls for universities to take a leading role in advancing the open science movement and is the first deliverable of the IAU Open Science Expert Group that brings together representatives from all regions of the world.

Addressing challenges and proposing recommendations for institutions to embrace openness, inclusivity, and sustainability in scientific research, the report emphasizes the absence of a unified institutional voice from universities in global open science debates. It stresses that universities, as the custodians of publicly funded research and hubs of knowledge creation, must take centre stage and identified, inter alia, the following priorities:

• Scientific Integrity: Advocating processes of scrutiny, reproduction, and replication to ensure science's self-correcting nature and combat fraud.
• Open Collaboration: Promoting greater data sharing within and across national systems, embedding open science practices in education, and monitoring global progress.
• Societal Engagement: Encouraging transdisciplinary collaborations to broaden knowledge uptake and counter populist attacks on science.
• International Community Building: Fostering a global community of universities to address pressing global challenges collaboratively.

Emphasizing the need for inclusivity, equity, and sustainability in scientific knowledge production, the report underscored the transformative potential of open science to make research accessible for the benefit of society and scientists alike. It urges universities to adopt actionable steps, including:

• Reforming Scientific Publishing: Universities must advocate for a more equitable and transparent publishing model. Current financial models restrict access based on the ability to pay, undermining international collaboration. Additionally, low editorial standards, evidence of fraud, and overproduction of papers of little or no value exacerbate these challenges. Universities are called to collaborate with stakeholders to design a publishing system that prioritizes scientific integrity and accountability over the ability to pay.
• Rethinking Evaluation and Rankings: Current assessment systems incentivize research output at the expense of teaching, transdisciplinary work, and societal impact. The report encouraged universities to critically evaluate these systems, highlighting their flaws and proposing alternatives that align with open science principles.
• Addressing AI Challenges: Rapid advancements in AI technologies require a definition of best practices and monitoring of AI developments to ensure that these technologies serve the public good. Unique challenges for open science need to be addressed by the universities, which must resist the use of their researchers' work for AI training without proper acknowledgement and oversight.

In conclusion, the report’s authors emphasize the unique role universities play in shaping the future of open science. By championing accessibility, inclusivity, and collaboration, universities can counteract global challenges and foster innovation. As part of this effort, the IAU aims to provide a platform for debate, knowledge sharing, and strategic action.

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