Call for submissions
The University of Groningen Library (UB) and the Open Science Community Groningen (OSCG) invite you to submit your case study for the 7th annual Open Research Award (ORA) to celebrate openness in research and teaching.
The ORA award celebrates the many ways in which academics make their research or teaching more accessible, transparent or reproducible. Researchers and students are invited to submit case studies describing their contribution to open research and education practices, individually or in teams. We are looking for candid accounts of academics’ motivations for making open choices, the impact it has on their work and its impact on the (local) (scientific) community.
Staff members and students can submit case studies. All submissions will be screened for eligibility by a jury. Three eligible submissions will be randomly selected to be each awarded €500.
Deadline: 16 September 2026, midnight.
Submit individually or as a team
Submission is open to staff members, PhD students and (Research) Master’s students from all UG faculties and the UMCG, who may submit either as individuals or as teams. Application is by means of a case study describing how open practices have been used in a research or teaching context.
Selection procedure for ORA certificate and award
Submitted entries will be screened for eligibility by a jury composed of UG and UMCG staff members. All eligible cases will receive an Open Research Award certificate.
Three ORA awardees will be randomly selected out of the eligible cases. The awarded entries will receive a cash prize of 500 euros each to be used to cover research-related costs (conferences, materials, training, etc.) and will be invited to present their case studies during the event on 3 November 2026 in a 5 minute lightning talk. All eligible cases will have the opportunity to present their case via a poster.
Celebrate openness, reduce bias, avoid competition
The award is meant to highlight and acknowledge endeavours to use open research practices and not to rank submissions in a competitive manner. A modified lottery system is used as it fits well with the 'open and fair' principles of the award. It is also expected to reduce bias, to increase diversity and to contribute to alleviate the competitive climate in academia.
More information
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Please contact us, if you have any questions:
openresearchaward rug.nl
Acknowledgements
This award is inspired by the Open Research Award organized by the University of Reading. Our award guidelines are an adaptation of their Open Research Award Guidelines. We are thankful to the Open Research Working Group at the University of Reading, and especially to Dr. Robert Darby, for their support and advice in developing the University of Groningen Open Research Award.