Open Science Retreat 2025

Apr 13, 2025, 2:00 PM → Apr 17, 2025, 5:30 PM Europe/Zurich

Harini Lakshminarayanan, Joyce Kao (Digital Research Academy), Rachel Heyard

Whether you are just getting started with Open Science or are already an open hero. 
Whether you are a researcher or provide research services. 
If you are ready for a week of new ideas, productivity and rebooting: this retreat is for you!

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WHAT IS THE OPEN SCIENCE RETREAT

The Open Science Retreat is a week full of scientific discussions and reflections, getting work done, making new friends and resetting. 

The Retreat follows an unconference model. Except for the plenary sessions, all activities are optional. All outputs of the various topic teams that arise are made publicly available. 

To get an idea of what kinds of things come from the OS Retreat, check out the ouputs of the 2024 edition in this Research Equals Collection and the outputs of the 2023 edition in this newsletter. More info can be found on the Open Science Retreat website or in this YouTube video. 

WE WANT YOUR WORKSHOP IDEAS!!!

While the majority of the retreat is in the unconference format, this year we want to source a few workshops from the community no longer than 2-3 hours to complement the program. We invite you to submit an abstract with your workshop idea on any topics related to open science, well-being, or career development!

WHY SHOULD YOU ATTEND AN OPEN SCIENCE RETREAT

• Learn from peers in different stages of their career, share insights and experiences in open science and build valuable collaborations. Be prepared to be inspired and challenged!
• Participate in a hands-on unconference style team in the mornings to develop practical skills in open science methodologies and more.
• Engage in thought-provoking discussions around the challenges and opportunities in implementing open science practices. Your voice matters!
• Benefit from coaching and join our mentoring scheme;
• Enjoy the serene and picturesque surroundings of our retreat location, the perfect backdrop for one-on-one talks, creativity, relaxation, and rejuvenation.

IMPORTANT DATES

Dec 10, 2024	Participation Applications & Workshop Abstract Submissions Open
Feb 5, 2025	Participation Applications & Workshop Abstract Submissions Close
Feb 14, 2025	Notifications of Participation, Travel Fellowships, Workshop Leaders

PARTICIPATION FEES

Inclusive in the participation fees are-

• Four night stay with views of the Swiss Alps (in most rooms).
• Full board from Sunday dinner to Thursday lunch.
• Free use of the Postbus to Interlaken and Habkern.

Also included

• Full unconference experience with lots of group work.
• Planned social activities and group outings in nature.
• One free entry into the indoor panorama swimming pool down the road.

ADULTS

SHARED ROOM OPTIONS	FEES
Shared Room with shared bathroom	475 CHF
Shared room with en-suite bathroom	550 CHF

SINGLE ROOM OPTIONS	FEES
Single room (double bed) w/ shared bathroom	575 CHF
Single room (twin bed) w/ en-suite bathroom	650 CHF
Single room (double bed) w/ en-suite bathroom	700 CHF

CHILDREN

Ages	Fees
12-15 years	320 CHF
6-11 years	250 CHF
0-5 years	Free

STIPENDS

Through various generous sponsors and other funds, we are able to offer several stipends to lower participation fees down to 295 CHF and in some cases completely cover participation fees altogether. Please indicate on your application if you would like to be considered for a fellowship.

FAMILY-FRIENDLY

The Open Science Retreat has always been open to partners, spouses, and children* so bring them along! Our planned social activites are open to all participants and their families. The venue also has many child-friendly feature with a dedicated playroom for crafting and fun, playgrounds on the premises, and more.

*Please note that we currently do not provide childcare at the event so please make your own arrangements in this regard. We do connect families bringing children before the event to get to know each other and (unconference) organize activities together.

VENUE

Seminar für biblische Theologie 
Gästehaus 
Spirenwaldstrasse 356 
CH-3803 Beatenberg

The venue is easy to reach by public transit and also has free parking. It is also wheelchair-accessible. (More Info)

ORGANIZERS 2025

         

SPONSORS & FUNDERS

Sun, April 13

3:00 PM → 5:30 PM Participants: Arrivals, Check-in and Welcome

5:30 PM → 6:30 PM Plenary Session: Welcome & Orientation

5:30 PM Welcome & Introductions

5:45 PM Retreat Overview & Information

6:05 PM Organizing Partner Presentations

6:30 PM → 7:30 PM Mealtime: Dinner

7:30 PM → 8:45 PM Plenary Session: Icebreaker - Getting to know each other

8:45 PM → 10:30 PM Social Time: Networking (optional)

Mon, April 14

7:00 AM → 8:00 AM Morning Activity: Yoga, run, swim, meditation, etc. proposed by participants

Activities proposed by participants

8:00 AM → 9:00 AM Mealtime: Breakfast

9:00 AM → 10:30 AM Plenary Session: Unconference Planning

9:00 AM Welcome and Introduction

9:15 AM Swiss Open Research Data Strategy Council

9:35 AM Topic Presentations

Each person who submitted a topic idea gets to pitch their idea to the rest of the group in 1-2 minutes using the slides that were submitted (see "Unconference Sessions" in the Mattermost chat).

10:30 AM → 10:50 AM Coffee Break

Outside the Main Room

10:50 AM → 12:00 PM Plenary Session: Unconference Planning

10:50 AM Topic group formation

In this session we will see how many people are interested in which topic. Topic groups are usually comprised of 2-7 participants.

Topics that too few people are interested in will not be pursued further.
If groups get too big, we may split them into subtopics.

Choosing a topic can be difficult, yet you should choose one ;)
If you are unhappy with your choice, you can always switch.

At the end of the week each group will present their work.

11:25 AM Topic group finalization & room assignments

12:00 PM → 12:30 PM Break

12:30 PM → 1:30 PM Mealtime: Lunch

1:30 PM → 5:30 PM Unconference: Topic Groups

Parallel Sessions

The Open Science Retreat always follows an unconference model. Except for the plenary sessions, all activities are optional.

Before the Retreat, participants are asked to propose topics for the unconference sessions. Teamwork topics will run through all sessions in the schedule that say "Unconference: Topic Groups" (instead of many small topics, we work on a few big ones).

On Monday we will decide together which teams will work on what, and who joins which team. The idea is not to follow one team lead, but to all be able to take up sub tasks that we are interested in. On Thursday the teams will present the outcomes of the work to all.

Participants can also propose to organise shorter sessions in the afternoons, or lead other (outdoor) activities, using an unconference board in the main room of the Retreat.

And lastly, participants can volunteer to join the mentoring programme, in which we will connect pairs of participants that can learn from each other.

1:30 PM Assessing Open Research

1:30 PM Even more open research

1:30 PM How to (truly) rewards OS practices

1:30 PM ORD

1:30 PM OS as labour + political activism

1:30 PM Preregistration

1:30 PM Pub Quiz

1:30 PM Sharing + Marketing OS Initiatives

3:00 PM → 3:30 PM Coffee Break

Outside Main Room

3:30 PM → 5:30 PM Unconference: Topic Groups, Individual Career Coaching, Short Sessions

Parallel Sessions

The Open Science Retreat always follows an unconference model. Except for the plenary sessions, all activities are optional.

Before the Retreat, participants are asked to propose topics for the unconference sessions. Teamwork topics will run through all sessions in the schedule that say "Unconference: Topic Groups" (instead of many small topics, we work on a few big ones).

On Monday we will decide together which teams will work on what, and who joins which team. The idea is not to follow one team lead, but to all be able to take up sub tasks that we are interested in. On Thursday the teams will present the outcomes of the work to all.

Participants can also propose to organise shorter sessions in the afternoons, or lead other (outdoor) activities, using an unconference board in the main room of the Retreat.

And lastly, participants can volunteer to join the mentoring programme, in which we will connect pairs of participants that can learn from each other.

3:30 PM Mentoring and Coaching

Make appointments with mentors/coaches on Mattermost and on the main schedule display onsite.

3:30 PM Your ideal preregistration platform: give your ideas!

4:10 PM Bridging Research - New Digital Roles

5:30 PM → 6:00 PM Plenary Session: Recap of the Day

6:00 PM → 6:30 PM Break

6:30 PM → 7:30 PM Mealtime: Dinner

7:30 PM → 8:45 PM Plenary Session: Neworking Activity

8:45 PM → 10:30 PM Social Time

Tue, April 15

7:00 AM → 8:00 AM Morning Activity: Yoga, run, swim meditation, etc. proposed by participants

Activities proposed by participants

8:00 AM → 9:00 AM Mealtime: Breakfast & Morning Stand Up

9:00 AM → 12:30 PM Unconference: Topic Groups

Parallel Sessions

The Open Science Retreat always follows an unconference model. Except for the plenary sessions, all activities are optional.

Before the Retreat, participants are asked to propose topics for the unconference sessions. Teamwork topics will run through all sessions in the schedule that say "Unconference: Topic Groups" (instead of many small topics, we work on a few big ones).

On Monday we will decide together which teams will work on what, and who joins which team. The idea is not to follow one team lead, but to all be able to take up sub tasks that we are interested in. On Thursday the teams will present the outcomes of the work to all.

Participants can also propose to organise shorter sessions in the afternoons, or lead other (outdoor) activities, using an unconference board in the main room of the Retreat.

And lastly, participants can volunteer to join the mentoring programme, in which we will connect pairs of participants that can learn from each other.

9:00 AM Assessing Open Science

9:00 AM Even More Open

9:00 AM Family Feud Pub Quiz

9:00 AM How to truly reward OS practices

9:00 AM ORD

9:00 AM OS as labor & political activism

9:00 AM Preregistration

9:00 AM Sharing & Marketing OS initiatives

10:15 AM → 10:45 AM Coffee Break

10:30 AM → 12:30 PM Unconference: Negotiation Workshop

Parallel Sessions

The Open Science Retreat always follows an unconference model. Except for the plenary sessions, all activities are optional.

Before the Retreat, participants are asked to propose topics for the unconference sessions. Teamwork topics will run through all sessions in the schedule that say "Unconference: Topic Groups" (instead of many small topics, we work on a few big ones).

On Monday we will decide together which teams will work on what, and who joins which team. The idea is not to follow one team lead, but to all be able to take up sub tasks that we are interested in. On Thursday the teams will present the outcomes of the work to all.

Participants can also propose to organise shorter sessions in the afternoons, or lead other (outdoor) activities, using an unconference board in the main room of the Retreat.

And lastly, participants can volunteer to join the mentoring programme, in which we will connect pairs of participants that can learn from each other.

10:30 AM Advocate with Impact: Buildling Confidence and Mastering Negotiation in Open Science

Success in academia and open science is not just about groundbreaking research—it’s about advocating for your work, negotiating effectively, and communicating with confidence.

Yet, many Ph.D.s and open science researchers struggle with self-doubt, imposter syndrome, or hesitancy to assert their ideas, especially in competitive or collaborative settings.

This workshop, led by executive coach Jamie Lee, equips researchers with the tools to confidently advocate for themselves, their ideas, and their contributions.

Drawing on evidence-based practical neuroscience and proven negotiation strategies, participants will learn to overcome the internal and external barriers that hinder self-advocacy.

Whether negotiating resources, pitching a project, or navigating interdisciplinary collaborations, this session will empower attendees to show up as credible and impactful leaders.

Through interactive exercises and real-world examples tailored to the open science community, participants will:

1. Reframe unhelpful thought patterns and shift from self-doubt to self-assurance in minutes.
2. Learn the fundamentals of negotiating effectively while preserving relationships.
3. Develop practical self-advocacy strategies for meetings, presentations, and collaborations.
4. Build confidence to navigate conflict and communicate with authority in challenging conversations.
5. Create a personalized toolkit for asserting their value and ensuring their voice is heard.

Jamie Lee, an executive coach specializing in self-advocacy and leadership, has helped professionals in high-stakes environments amplify their voices, lead with clarity, and achieve career-defining results. Her approach combines actionable tools with an understanding of the pressures unique to academia and research, empowering attendees to thrive in their roles.

Speaker: Jamie Lee

12:30 PM → 2:00 PM Mealtime: Lunch & Announcements & Group Picture

12:30 PM Lunch

1:30 PM Announcements

1:45 PM Group Picture (Location TBD)

2:00 PM → 6:00 PM Social Time: Recharging Time (e.g. Planned Hike, Excursions, etc.)

2:00 PM Choose your own adventure

Plan something on your own. Check out the Beatenberg tourism website for fun activities in the area: https://beatenberg.ch/tourismus/en/tourismus

2:00 PM Group Hike

Planned hike led by retreat organizers. Be sure to have sturdy walking shoes and pack your water bottle!

Speaker: Heidi Seibold (Digital Research Academy)

2:00 PM Swimming or Sauna

We'll be walking down the street to the panoramic indoor pool together for swimming with views of the Alps. There is a sauna available as well with an extra charge of 7 CHF to be paid directly at the pool entrance.

More info here: https://beatenberg.ch/tourismus/en/Indoor-swimming-pool-family

4:00 PM Coffee/Tea Time

5:00 PM → 6:00 PM Unconference: Short Sessions

Parallel Sessions

The Open Science Retreat always follows an unconference model. Except for the plenary sessions, all activities are optional.

Before the Retreat, participants are asked to propose topics for the unconference sessions. Teamwork topics will run through all sessions in the schedule that say "Unconference: Topic Groups" (instead of many small topics, we work on a few big ones).

On Monday we will decide together which teams will work on what, and who joins which team. The idea is not to follow one team lead, but to all be able to take up sub tasks that we are interested in. On Thursday the teams will present the outcomes of the work to all.

Participants can also propose to organise shorter sessions in the afternoons, or lead other (outdoor) activities, using an unconference board in the main room of the Retreat.

And lastly, participants can volunteer to join the mentoring programme, in which we will connect pairs of participants that can learn from each other.

5:00 PM How to start your Open Science Community

Ideas, resources, experiences from OSC's

5:00 PM Nanopubs

intro, examples, sign-up

6:00 PM → 6:30 PM Plenary Session: Recap of the Day

6:30 PM → 7:30 PM Mealtime: Dinner

7:30 PM → 10:30 PM Social Time

7:30 PM Slide Karaoke

Submit a random presentation slide.
Watch other people pretend like they know what it means and present it.

Want to actively participate? Sign up to be a presenter to join the contest for a chance to become be the Slide Karaoke Champion!

9:00 PM Silent Disco

Wed, April 16

7:00 AM → 8:00 AM Morning Activity: Yoga, run, swim meditation, etc. proposed by participants

Activities proposed by participants

8:00 AM → 9:00 AM Mealtime: Breakfast & Morning Stand Up

9:00 AM → 10:30 AM Unconference: Topic Groups

Parallel Sessions

The Open Science Retreat always follows an unconference model. Except for the plenary sessions, all activities are optional.

Before the Retreat, participants are asked to propose topics for the unconference sessions. Teamwork topics will run through all sessions in the schedule that say "Unconference: Topic Groups" (instead of many small topics, we work on a few big ones).

On Monday we will decide together which teams will work on what, and who joins which team. The idea is not to follow one team lead, but to all be able to take up sub tasks that we are interested in. On Thursday the teams will present the outcomes of the work to all.

Participants can also propose to organise shorter sessions in the afternoons, or lead other (outdoor) activities, using an unconference board in the main room of the Retreat.

And lastly, participants can volunteer to join the mentoring programme, in which we will connect pairs of participants that can learn from each other.

10:30 AM → 11:00 AM Coffee Break

11:00 AM → 12:30 PM Unconference: Topic Groups

Parallel Sessions

The Open Science Retreat always follows an unconference model. Except for the plenary sessions, all activities are optional.

Before the Retreat, participants are asked to propose topics for the unconference sessions. Teamwork topics will run through all sessions in the schedule that say "Unconference: Topic Groups" (instead of many small topics, we work on a few big ones).

On Monday we will decide together which teams will work on what, and who joins which team. The idea is not to follow one team lead, but to all be able to take up sub tasks that we are interested in. On Thursday the teams will present the outcomes of the work to all.

Participants can also propose to organise shorter sessions in the afternoons, or lead other (outdoor) activities, using an unconference board in the main room of the Retreat.

And lastly, participants can volunteer to join the mentoring programme, in which we will connect pairs of participants that can learn from each other.

12:30 PM → 1:30 PM Mealtime: Lunch

1:30 PM → 2:15 PM Plenary Session: Setting goals for remaining time

2:15 PM → 5:30 PM Unconference: Topic groups, Short Sessions, Workshop & Individual Career Coaching

Parallel Sessions

The Open Science Retreat always follows an unconference model. Except for the plenary sessions, all activities are optional.

Before the Retreat, participants are asked to propose topics for the unconference sessions. Teamwork topics will run through all sessions in the schedule that say "Unconference: Topic Groups" (instead of many small topics, we work on a few big ones).

On Monday we will decide together which teams will work on what, and who joins which team. The idea is not to follow one team lead, but to all be able to take up sub tasks that we are interested in. On Thursday the teams will present the outcomes of the work to all.

Participants can also propose to organise shorter sessions in the afternoons, or lead other (outdoor) activities, using an unconference board in the main room of the Retreat.

And lastly, participants can volunteer to join the mentoring programme, in which we will connect pairs of participants that can learn from each other.

2:15 PM Mentoring & Coaching

Make appointments on Mattermost and also the main schedule display.

2:15 PM Short session: Creativity + How it fits into our work

3:00 PM Coffee/Tea Time

3:00 PM Short Session: Intro to Fediverse & Mastodon -Scicomm

3:30 PM Open Research at the Grant-writing Stage

Preparation & Communication:

The retreat organisers will set up a Mattermost channel for interaction with potential participants. Participants will also be able to post grant ideas in a template provided by the workshop leader in the Mattermost channel. (See the “Pre-work” section of the Timetable below for further details.)

Abstract

This session aims to contribute to the body of evidence around openness in the early stages of research [1, 2] with two hands-on activities: (1) in-person "sandpit" that will give people the opportunity to discuss ideas for grants related to open research; and (2) a variation on a "writer’s workshop" to improve work-in-progress [3].

References

[1] Horbach, Serge P. J. M;, Tijdink, Joeri K.; and Bouter Lex (2022) Research funders should be more transparent: a plea for open applications. R. Soc. Open Sci. 9220750
[2] Melvyn Smith. Spending six months on a failed grant bid is too much. Things must change. (February 7, 2024) Times Higher Education.
[3] Richard Gabriel. Writers Workshops and the work of making things.

Workshop timetable

| Pre-work

While it is not a requirement for participation, ideas about new and/or existing grants can be shared in Mattermost before the workshop. If there are any additional materials that you want to make available to participants to read, these should also be shared on Mattermost by Noon the day before, to give people enough reading time. Anyone can share previous grant applications, ask questions, and provide feedback for workshop planning on this channel as well. The channel will also include pointers to resources such as the OGrants database and RIO journal (places where openly-published grant proposals can be found). Throughout the Retreat, participants will be able to post grant ideas on a physical board onsite, and use dot voting to upvote favorites.

5 minutes | Introduction

We will walk through this itinerary and make sure that any questions about the workflow are addressed.

40 minutes | Part I: Sharing project ideas

We will break into smaller groups of 3 or more people to discuss project ideas. These ideas may have been generated in the retreat or they might be things you have “brought along” from your previous work. Some of them may have been shared and voted for on the dot-voting board; some may also have been written up for discussion in Part II. At this point, all ideas are still on the table. In this session, the small groups will collaborate to refine or (where applicable) combine these ideas.

10 minutes | Share back

Each small group will present back to everyone what they discussed, nominating one idea for further discussion in Part II. (If there are more than 3 ideas put forward, i.e., more than 3 small groups, we will vote and select the three top-rated ideas.)

5 minutes | Comfort break

1 hour | Part II: Writers workshop for ≈3 ideas

Using ideas nominated by the small groups, and supported by content previously shared on Mattermost (where applicable), we will spend 20 minutes on each of three different proposals. This will follow a structure of (5 minutes) a brief presentation — reading aloud or talking through the idea verbally; (5 minutes) discussing the strengths of the proposal; (5 minutes) discussing how it could be improved; (5 minutes) for any clarifying questions from the presenter.

Facilitator Bio: Joe Corneli is Open Research Project Manager and UKRN Local Network Lead at Oxford Brookes University. He is a core contributor to the Peeragogy project, which began in 2012, and which collects design patterns for effective peer learning and peer production.

Speaker: Joseph Corneli (Oxford Brookes University)

Workshop Description (Google Doc)

3:30 PM Short session: how to deal with your full (work/social) calendar? Reclaiming your time

5:30 PM → 6:00 PM Plenary Session: Recap of the Day & Retreat Wrap Up Planning

6:00 PM → 6:30 PM Break

6:30 PM → 7:30 PM Mealtime: Dinner

7:30 PM → 10:30 PM Social Time

7:30 PM Survey Says: Open Science Game

8:30 PM Board Game Night

8:30 PM Silent Disco

Thu, April 17

7:00 AM → 8:00 AM Morning Activity: Yoga, run, swim meditation, etc. proposed by participants

Activities proposed by participants

8:00 AM → 9:00 AM Mealtime: Breakfast & Morning Stand Up

9:00 AM → 10:30 AM Unconference: Topic groups

Parallel Sessions

The Open Science Retreat always follows an unconference model. Except for the plenary sessions, all activities are optional.

Before the Retreat, participants are asked to propose topics for the unconference sessions. Teamwork topics will run through all sessions in the schedule that say "Unconference: Topic Groups" (instead of many small topics, we work on a few big ones).

On Monday we will decide together which teams will work on what, and who joins which team. The idea is not to follow one team lead, but to all be able to take up sub tasks that we are interested in. On Thursday the teams will present the outcomes of the work to all.

Participants can also propose to organise shorter sessions in the afternoons, or lead other (outdoor) activities, using an unconference board in the main room of the Retreat.

And lastly, participants can volunteer to join the mentoring programme, in which we will connect pairs of participants that can learn from each other.

10:30 AM → 11:00 AM Coffee Break

11:00 AM → 12:00 PM Unconference: Topic Groups Wrap Up

Parallel Sessions

The Open Science Retreat always follows an unconference model. Except for the plenary sessions, all activities are optional.

Before the Retreat, participants are asked to propose topics for the unconference sessions. Teamwork topics will run through all sessions in the schedule that say "Unconference: Topic Groups" (instead of many small topics, we work on a few big ones).

On Monday we will decide together which teams will work on what, and who joins which team. The idea is not to follow one team lead, but to all be able to take up sub tasks that we are interested in. On Thursday the teams will present the outcomes of the work to all.

Participants can also propose to organise shorter sessions in the afternoons, or lead other (outdoor) activities, using an unconference board in the main room of the Retreat.

And lastly, participants can volunteer to join the mentoring programme, in which we will connect pairs of participants that can learn from each other.

12:00 PM → 12:30 PM Break

12:30 PM → 1:30 PM Mealtime: Lunch & Announcements

1:30 PM → 2:30 PM Plenary Session: Presentations from Topic Groups

2:30 PM → 2:45 PM Plenary Session: Summary, Reflection, & Closing

2:45 PM → 3:45 PM Participants: Departure