Open Research

By sharing knowledge openly and transparently we can accelerate discoveries that help break the cycle of poor health and poverty. Open Research[1] transforms the way science is created, shared, and tested. It helps researchers collaborate, build on each other’s work, and drive real-world impact. It improves transparency, accessibility, and rigour and strengthens the communities and partnerships that power global health innovation.

Core principles

Open Research is built on the principle that scientific knowledge should be openly accessible, transparent, rigorous, reproducible, replicable, accumulative, and inclusive.

Key practices

  • Open data: Making research datasets publicly available and accessible, enabling verification, replication, and reuse by other researchers, industry partners, and the broader scientific community.
  • Open methodology: Transparent reporting of research methods, including pre-registration of research protocols, detailed documentation of procedures, and sharing of analysis protocols to enhance reproducibility and methodological rigour.
  • Open source: Sharing research tools, software, code, and equipment specifications that support research activities and enable others to build on existing work.
  • Open access: Making research outputs, including publications, reports and findings, publicly accessible without financial, legal, or technical barriers.
  • Open peer review: Implementing transparent review processes that may include open reviewer identities, published review reports, and community-based evaluation systems.
  • Open educational resources: Sharing teaching materials, pedagogical approaches, and educational content that support knowledge dissemination and capacity building.

Benefits and impact

  • Enhanced collaboration: Breaking down barriers between institutions, disciplines, and geographical boundaries to support global research partnerships.
  • Improved reproducibility: Providing transparency so other researchers can verify and replicate findings.
  • Accelerated discovery: Enabling researchers to build on existing work more efficiently and avoid duplication of effort.
  • Higher quality research: Promoting rigorous methodologies and transparent reporting that strengthen the scientific record.
  • Broader societal impact: Ensuring research serves the public good by making knowledge accessible to policymakers, practitioners, and communities.
  • Innovation and reuse: Enabling repurposing of data, methods, and tools for new research questions and applications.

Why work with us?

Open Research is at the heart of our research strategy, strengthening the quality, credibility, and impact of our work. Our partners benefit from an approach rooted in best research practice:

  • Research integrity: We champion transparency, accuracy, and ethical conduct. Our open-by-default approach helps ensure research is trustworthy, reproducible, and accountable.
  • Research culture: We are committed to building a collaborative, inclusive, and responsible research environment where knowledge is shared and excellence is achieved collectively.
  • Digital infrastructure: We invest in modern, secure, and interoperable digital systems that enable efficient data sharing, collaboration, and innovative ways to disseminate findings.
  • Talent and skills development: We equip our research community with the skills and confidence needed to embed open research practices, supporting professional growth and long‑term capability.
  • Research ethics: We balance openness with responsibility. Our frameworks ensure that transparency never compromises participant safety, community wellbeing, or the protection of sensitive information.

[1] See definition of Open Research at https://www.ukri.org/manage-your-award/good-research-resource-hub/open-research/, also known as Open Science https://forrt.org/glossary/english/open_science/ or Open Scholarship https://forrt.org/glossary/english/open_scholarship/.