Planning for an Open Research Future

Open Research has been widely promoted as a way to improve the transparency, reproducibility, and quality of research. However, for many researchers, the challenge is not why they should adopt open practices, but how to implement them effectively. Despite growing policy support and advocacy, uptake remains uneven across disciplines and contexts. This reflects a persistent gap between principle and practice, as researchers often lack clear, structured, and technical tools that support the day-to-day implementation of Open Research across the research lifecycle.

Planning for an Open Research Future: A Practical Resource and Evidence-Based Guidance addressed this challenge. The project developed the Transparency and Openness Management Plan (TOMP), a flexible and adaptable tool designed to support the planning, management, and reporting of a range of Open Research practices across diverse contexts. Informed by a two-round expert consultation, the TOMP is accompanied by guidance for its effective use. It has been released as openly licensed, shared infrastructure that can be reused and adapted by researchers and stakeholders, such as funders and institutions, to suit individual
needs and settings. The project also generated new evidence on the barriers, facilitators, and researcher priorities associated with implementation, which can inform future stakeholder initiatives. The findings show that effective support depends less on promoting individual practices in isolation and more on providing integrated, user-oriented tools that align with existing workflows and address cross-cutting factors. Together, the TOMP and its supporting evidence offer a tangible route to turning Open Research ambitions into everyday practice.

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