Open Science: The challenge for Universities

Abstract

Universities have endured over time as centres of knowledge, adapting to significant changes in their environments. They often share the ambition of being both flexible and reflective, and at the same time remaining committed to the fundamental values of higher education and to a core mission, namely fostering critical thinking, creativity, social progress, social responsibility, inclusivity, diversity and upholding the role of arbitrators of truth through academic integrity in knowledge production respectful of various epistemological traditions. In line with the mission of the IAU, the notion of a university encompasses the diversity of the higher education institutions globally. Some are focusing mainly on research and global academic exchange, while other are more dedicated to education and higher vocational training and serving their local communities. They span the classical medieval disciplines, social science, natural science, technology, art and humanities and some incorporate learning in close collaboration with practice oriented knowledge systems —but they are all part of that community of universities, if they endorse the fundamental values of the academy.