Radboud Open Science Inspirators are individuals who are actively involved in Open Science in various ways. In this series, which is part of the Radboud Open Science Programme, they share their experiences, the challenges they face, and the benefits they’ve encountered in their journey with Open Science. This time: Tom Ederveen, bioinformatician at the Medical BioSciences department of the Radboudumc.
Radboud Open Science Inspirator: Tom Ederveen
Tom Ederveen makes no secret of his enthusiasm. His mission? Making data FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable). Not as a bureaucratic obligation, but as an act of scientific integrity.
The roots of that movement go back some time, based on the semantic web concept from around the turn of the millennium. 'In 2016, with a strong contribution from Leiden, the FAIR principle was first published,' Tom explains, 'and the Netherlands is internationally ahead in FAIR thinking.' That lead is not self-evident. In scientific practice, tension sometimes exists between openness and competition, where collaboration does not always come naturally. Tom and his team consciously choose transparency in many aspects of their scientific research: open data, analysis workflows, publications, and even peer review work they preferably do under their own name. 'True knowledge will ultimately rise to the surface,' he says, a matter-of-fact yet hopeful outlook.
"Making data FAIR: not as a bureaucratic obligation, but as an act of scientific integrity"
Working from the bioinformatics department, Tom collaborates closely with the Radboudumc Technology Centers (RTC), which provide support to researchers across various fields, from animal studies to imaging, and where Data Stewardship also holds a prominent place. Those data stewards help researchers in practical terms: how do you describe your data properly? How do you make it accessible? Because that is still regularly where the shoe pinches. Researchers often do not know exactly what is expected of them and are wary of what they experience as complex IT issues.
Yet Tom sees the core motivation clearly. Researchers feel indebted to the people who have made an effort to participate in research (patients, test subjects, citizens). Their contribution deserves more than an article in a closed journal. That sentiment is widely shared in the field, Tom observes.
The landscape of scientific publishing is also shifting. Nanopublications already exist: small, standalone pieces of data shared outside the traditional article structure, as an example of how value creation in science can also be organised differently from the conventional publication pyramid.
With his story, Tom shows that FAIR data is not a technical side issue, but an attitude: driven by curiosity, a sense of responsibility, and a genuine belief in open science. A true inspirator.
Colleagues who wish to discuss (open) research culture and exchange experiences are warmly welcome at the bimonthly OSCN drinks. The next one is on Thursday 26 March at 16:30 in the CultuurCafé.