TIER2, an international project funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe R&I programme, aims to systematically investigate reproducibility across contexts, including three broad research fields (social, life, and computer sciences) as well as three relevant stakeholder groups (researchers, publishers, and funders). By increasing the knowledge on reproducibility, developing and implementing new tools, building and engaging cross-disciplinary communities, as well as outline recommendations, TIER2 aims to improve the trust, integrity, and efficiency in research.
Find out more here.
A Reproducibility Network or RN is a national, cross-disciplinary consortium of researchers that aims to promote and advocate for reproducible research practices and to increase the trustworthiness of scientific findings. RNs achieve this by offering training opportunities, disseminating best practices, and engaging with different groups of external stakeholders, such as funding agencies, publishers, and societies.
Already, several Reproducibility Networks have been created worldwide and you can find an overview of the existing RNs here.
Read more about the International Network of RNs and its objectives here.
A reproducibility initiative can simply be an individual person, a small team, or a large group of people active in the reproducible research and Open Science context. Initiatives exist in different formats, such as journal clubs, open science working groups, educational platforms, and can focus on different aspects of reproducible research and Open Science practices. This includes open data and open code, training and education, guidelines and research practices, and quality management.
Find examples of reproducibility initiatives here.
Consortia or networks of two or more reproducibility initiatives within the same Horizon Europe “Widening Participation” country are eligible to apply. Consortia or networks applying for an award should represent a minimum of two different institutes or universities. An initiative might simply be an individual person or a small team. If initiatives consist of several people, a designated ‘initiative speaker’ should be named on the application. Well-established but also newly established initiatives are eligible to apply.
Horizon Europe, a funding programme for research and innovation (R&I) under the European Commission, aims to increase the impact of R&I and to facilitate collaborations. Through their Widening actions, Horizon Europe strengthens the impact of “Widening Countries”. These include Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia.
Further, all “Associated Countries” with equivalent characteristics in terms of R&I performance as well as “Outermost Regions” (defined in Art. 349 TFEU) belong to the umbrella term of “Widening Countries”. These include Albania, Armenia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Faroe Islands, Georgia, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Tunisia, Türkiye, Ukraine, and once associated Morocco (“Associated Countries”) as well as Guyane, Martinique, Guadeloupe, Saint-Martin, Madeira, Acores, Canaries, Mayotte, and La Réunion (“Outermost Regions”).
These countries and outermost regions are included in the umbrella term “Widening Participation” countries on the award website, the FAQs, and the application form.
Find more information here (page 8).
Note: Please find further information on the Council Implementing Decision 2022/2506 regarding Hungarian entities here and here.
TIER2 will be giving out one award of €5,000 to fund a first meeting to establish a Reproducibility Network in your “Widening Participation” country. The allocated award money may be used for expenses directly related to the establishment meeting. This may include travel expenses, venue costs, advertisement, technical setups, and consumables. The meeting should take place within one year of receiving the award. At the end of the award period, awardees will need to submit a short final report, including evidence of their outputs (i.e., events, publications, websites), and reflecting on how they addressed and operationalized equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in their established Reproducibility Network.
Applicants are kindly asked to fill out the official application form and submit the application via email to Friederike Kohrs (friederike-elisabeth.kohrs@charite.de) and Alexandra Bannach-Brown (alexandra.bannach-brown@charite.de).
The selection will be determined via a two-step process. First, all applications will be assessed on their eligibility (i.e., if applicants are based in a “Widening Participation” country, if the applying consortium consists of two or more initiatives) by the TIER2 team. Second, the eligible proposals will be evaluated by independent reviewers on the basis of the proposed Reproducibility Network’s characteristics, motivation, feasibility, and expected impact. The assessment criteria and their weighting factors are specifically stated in the application form. During the evaluation process, the independent reviewers will not be aware of the names or other identifying characteristics of applicants.
The deadline for application is Wednesday, 1 May at 11pm/23:00 (CET).