GW4 launches Open Research Week for 2025 to showcase collaboration, transparency, and innovation in research

The GW4 Alliance, an alliance of four of the UK’s most research-intensive and innovative universities of Bath, Bristol, Cardiff and Exeter, has joined forces to launch this year’s GW4 Open Research Week, celebrating best practices in open research. 

The event, which is being co-delivered by the four universities and led, for this year, by the University of Bath, will run from Monday 31 March to Friday 4 April and focus on the theme of ‘Open Research: Open Culture’. 

Adopting Open Research practices improves research integrity, adds to the quality of research outputs through increased collaboration, and improves the public value of research by making it more easily accessible to all, maximising its potential impact.  

This year’s event builds on the success of the inaugural cross-alliance GW4 Open Research Week, held in November 2023 and led by the University of Bristol, and will bring together researchers, innovators, and thought leaders to champion transparency, collaboration, and accessibility in research, fostering a culture of open science across disciplines. 

The week will consist of a series of online events, which will span a diverse range of topics related to the theme of open culture. Sessions are open to all GW4 Alliance members, with most sessions also open to everyone, including those based at institutions outside of the GW4 Alliance, international audience groups, and members of the public with an interest in open research. 

One of the week’s flagship events will be the GW4 Open Research Prize Award Event, which will take place online on Wednesday 2 April, and will showcase the Open Research Prize submissions from across GW4, with prizes awarded to the winning entries across three different categories.  

Other events will explore topics including, GW4’s Rights Retention Strategy; using open access to meet social challenges; exploring the reproducibility of research publications; and navigating open research with sensitive data.  

Professor Sarah Hainsworth, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research and Enterprise) at the University of Bath, said: “As this year’s lead institution for GW4 Open Research Week, we are proud to collaborate with colleagues from across the GW4 Alliance to deliver an inspiring and impactful programme. We look forward to welcoming online attendees to engage in discussions, share innovative approaches, and advance the culture of Open Research together. 

"Open Research is one of the six pillars of the University of Bath’s Research Culture Action Plan, and we are committed to embedding Open Research across all our studies and research outputs." 

The GW4 Alliance sits at the forefront in research standards, and Open Research Week forms part of the Alliance’s commitment to ensuring that its researchers adopt best practice when undertaking research. 

Dr Joanna Jenkinson, GW4 Alliance Director, said: “Collaboration, transparency, and innovation are central to the GW4 Alliance’s mission, and we are dedicated to promoting best practices in open research. Open Research Week 2025 offers a unique opportunity to unite our academic community, alongside external institutions and the public, to explore and showcase pioneering approaches to open research.” 

As part of the week, GW4 is also hosting an Open Research Prize to celebrate and recognise researchers' outstanding efforts in making their work more accessible. This year, the prize has been expanded to include the contributions of technical and research support staff who play a vital role in enabling open research practices. 

Dr Alice Motes, GW4 Open Research Week Organiser and Senior Data Librarian at the University of Bath, said: “Across the GW4 Alliance, there are an incredible array of research support staff who contribute to Open Research, embodying the spirit of an open culture in action across all stages of research. During GW4 Open Research Week, researchers and research enablers come together to celebrate their collective contributions towards transparency and reproducibility. In recognition of this, for the first time, all researchers and support staff who contribute to open research are now eligible for the GW4 Open Research Prize.” 

For further details, including the full timetable of events, please visit the GW4 Open Research Week webpages. 

The deadline for the GW4 Open Research Prize is Friday 28 February, with prizes of £250 in vouchers awarded to the best entry across three categories. For more information, please visit the GW4 Open Research Prize webpages.