Indo-French Seminar on Open Science, Open Data, and Computational Innovation Successfully Concludes

Prof. Nitin Seth reflected on the growth of Indo-French partnerships in science and technology, while Dr. Srinivasa Reddy stressed the role of open access in democratizing scientific knowledge.

The CSIR-National Institute of Science Communication and Policy Research (CSIR-NIScPR), New Delhi, in collaboration with the CNRS-Department for Open Research Data, Open Science, Publications, Research Data, and High-Performance Computing (CNRS-DDOR), Paris, successfully organized a two-day Indo-French Seminar on "Open Horizons: Integrating Open Access, Open Data, and Computational Innovation" on March 5-6, 2025, at CSIR-NIScPR's Satsang Vihar Campus, New Delhi.

Fostering Open Science and Strengthening Indo-French Collaborations

The seminar aimed to deliberate on the advancements in open access, open data, and open science in India and France, emphasizing the role of digital technologies and open-source platforms in fostering information-driven scientific research, increasing collaboration, ensuring transparency, and strengthening partnerships between science and society. The event brought together esteemed researchers, scientists, and policymakers from both nations, providing an exceptional platform for knowledge exchange and networking.

Inaugural Session: A Commitment to Open Science

The seminar commenced with an inaugural session attended by distinguished dignitaries, including Dr. Antoine Petit, Chairman and CEO of CNRS, France; Prof. Ranjana Aggarwal, Director, CSIR-NIScPR; Prof. Nitin Seth, Director, Indo-French Centre for the Promotion of Advanced Research (CEFIPRA); and Dr. Srinivasa Reddy, Director, CSIR-IICT.

Prof. Ranjana Aggarwal highlighted the importance of international collaboration in advancing open science, stating, "This seminar marks a significant step towards fostering global knowledge-sharing and ensuring scientific research is accessible to all." She also underscored India's "One Nation One Subscription" initiative, which aims to enhance open access to research outputs.

Prof. Nitin Seth reflected on the growth of Indo-French partnerships in science and technology, while Dr. Srinivasa Reddy stressed the role of open access in democratizing scientific knowledge. Dr. Antoine Petit and Dr. Sylvie Rousset of CNRS-DDOR elaborated on France's efforts to integrate open science into mainstream research policies.

Day 1: Policies, Open Access Models, and Global Perspectives

The first session, themed "Policies for Open Access and Open Science in France and India," was chaired by Prof. Vivek Kumar Singh, Senior Adviser, NITI Aayog. Dr. Marin Dacos from the French Ministry of Higher Education and Research outlined the benefits of open science, including improved academic efficiency, reproducibility, and increased citation rates. Dr. Remya Haridasan from the PSA Office, Govt. of India, detailed the "One Nation One Subscription" (ONOS) initiative, emphasizing its role in expanding access to scientific literature.

The second session, "Open Access: A Diversity of Routes," chaired by Prof. Anirban Chakraborti (JNU), featured insights from Dr. Bénédicte Kuntziger (CCSD, CNRS), who discussed the French national open-access repository, HAL, which houses over 1.4 million full-text documents. Other speakers included Dr. Françoise Rousseau (Couperin Consortium), Dr. Subbiah Arunachalam (DST-CPR, IISc Bangalore), and Dr. Geetha Vani Rayasam (CSIR-HRDG), who highlighted India's progress in promoting open-source drug discovery and research accessibility.

The third session, "Open Access: A Diversity of Routes (Part II)," chaired by Dr. Laurence El Khouri (CNRS-DDOR), featured discussions on the Diamond Open Access Model, Overlay Journals, and Global Open Science Standards. Prof. Rajeswari Raina (Shiv Nadar University) emphasized the need for a global perspective in open access policies, while Dr. Raphael Tournoy (Episciences) explored the role of overlay journals in revolutionizing scholarly communication.

Day 2: Computational Innovation, Research Assessment, and Open Data Sharing

The second day commenced with a session on "R&D in Computational Innovation and Open Source Software," chaired by Dr. Avinash Kshitij (CSIR-NIScPR). Prof. Roberto Di Cosmo (INRIA) presented the Software Heritage Initiative, emphasizing the need to preserve and share software for scientific research. Other discussions included data standardization in agriculture (Prof. P. K. Suri, Delhi Technological University) and open-source software in horticultural research (Dr. Sridhar Gautam, ICAR-IIHR).

A subsequent session on "Reforming the Evaluation of Research" featured presentations from Dr. Lidia Borrell-Damian (Science Europe) on research assessment reforms and CoARA Initiative, Dr. Vinayak (CSIR-NIScPR) on innovative metrics for science evaluation, and Dr. Moumita Koley (IISc Bengaluru) on rethinking research assessment frameworks.

The seminar also covered "Open Data Sharing," with speakers such as Ms. Alka Misra (NIC) discussing India's open data initiatives, Dr. Marin Dacos elaborating on France's research data-sharing ecosystem, and Dr. Naresh Kumar (CSIR-NIScPR) emphasizing the importance of data accessibility in scientific advancements.

Panel Discussion and Valedictory Session

The seminar concluded with a panel discussion on the future of open science, open data, and open-source platforms, featuring distinguished experts including Dr. Sujit Bhattacharya, Dr. Laurence El Khouri, Dr. Roberto Di Cosmo, Dr. Deepali Kuberkar, Dr. Kasturi Mandal, Dr. Yogesh Dhoble, and Dr. Sandhiya Lakshmanan. Panelists highlighted the importance of sustaining open-access initiatives and fostering international collaborations.

The valedictory session featured remarks from Dr. Naresh Kumar (CSIR-NIScPR), who summarized the seminar's key discussions and highlighted future directions for open science. Prof. Anirban Chakraborti (JNU) called for a balanced approach to open science policies, while Dr. Laurence El Khouri and Dr. Avinash Kshitij provided a structured summary of the seminar's deliberations.

Mr. Mukesh Pund (CSIR-NIScPR) concluded the event with a heartfelt Vote of Thanks, expressing gratitude to the Indian and French speakers, scholars, and delegates for their valuable contributions to the seminar's success.

Key Takeaways

• Open access and open science policies are critical for advancing research collaboration and public engagement.
• The Indo-French collaboration in science and technology is strengthening through dedicated initiatives like CEFIPRA and CNRS-DDOR.
• Digital and open-source platforms are playing a transformative role in data-sharing and computational innovation.
• Research evaluation needs reform to align with the principles of open science and reproducibility.
• Future efforts should focus on creating sustainable global open access frameworks.

The Indo-French Seminar on Open Science, Open Data, and Computational Innovation marks a milestone in fostering global research partnerships and accelerating open-access policies for a knowledge-driven future.