The pre-conference workshop on Intellectual Properties and Open Science, held on 11 November, marked the commencement of the conference. Prof Julia Priess-Buchheit facilitated the workshop, which was attended by 47 participants. Most participants highlighted ‘finding balance between open access and IP’ as one of the workshop takeaways.
Intellectual Properties and Open Science Workshop.
Right after the workshop, the Networking Session took place.
The Networking, which was held in collaboration with EURAXESS, was graced by Her Excellency Dr Iwona Piorko, European Union Ambassador to Singapore.
(L-R) Prof Lim Kah Leong, Dr Iwona Piorko, and Dr Liu Bin at the Networking Session
The conference proper took place on Tuesday, 12 November 2024 at NUS Shaw Foundation Alumni House Auditorium. There was a total of 207 conference participants – majority are from Singapore with several from China, Hong Kong, Thailand, Philippines, Japan, and Malaysia.
The conference opened with an address by Guest of Honour, Prof Subodh Mhaisalkar who emphasized Singapore’s commitment to fostering open science.
Opening Address: Open Science and Singapore [Slide | Video]
Opening Address by Prof Subodh Mhaisalkar.
Prof. Dr. Julia Priess-Buchheit then delivered the first keynote on balancing open science, security, and intellectual property rights.
Open Science, Security, and Intellectual Property Rights [Slide | Video]
Providing the different perspectives on Open Research, are:
Dr Wilson Goh, who zoomed in on open research that deals with personal, identifiable and sensitive data
Is Open Science Possible in Healthcare and Medical Research? [Slide | Video];
Dr Emma Crott, who looked at open research from infrastructure’s perspective
The Future of Digital Research Infrastructure [Slide | Video];
And Prof Jerry Menikoff, who underlined that one should not assume that the more ‘conservative’ position (requiring consent) is always the more ethical one.
Truly Open Research with Biospecimens: Can Research with Non-identified Biospecimens Be Conducted Without Consent? [Slide | Video]
Singapore Open Research Conference 2024 was attended by more than 200 participants from Singapore and neighbouring countries.
Prof Min-Yen Kan delivered an impactful second keynote by unpacking FAIR principles, how to prevent UnFAIR outcomes and implications of AI on FAIRness.
Pre-mortem: UnF.A.I.R – the Death of Open Research [Slide | Video]
Following was the sharing of data management and adoption of best practices in Singapore and worldwide, by Mark Hahnel from Digital Science.
The Rate of Adoption of Good Data Practices in Singapore [Slide | Video]
Midday panel discussion was moderated by Prof Lim Kah Leong. A mixture of serious discussion and light-hearted comments, the discussion was highly engaging and thought-provoking.
Panel Discussion [Video]
Panel Discussion with Prof Lim Kah Leong, Prof Julia Priess-Buchheit, Dr Natalie Pang, Dr Willie Koh and Dr Emma Crott.
The afternoon sessions showcased open research applications, from:
Qualitative data sharing (Dr Laurie J. Goldsmith and Leong Li Zi), scientometric insights into questionable research practices (Dr Michelle Neoh) and building open database for single-cell datasets (Dr Jinmiao Chen).
Rediscovering publicly available single-cell data with the DISCO platform [Slide | Video]
Networking and poster-viewing.
The conference concluded with the announcement of Singapore Open Research Awards 2024 winners and lightning talks.
Lightning talk by Prof Loy Chen Change [Slide][Link to the poster]
Lightning talk by Assistant Professor Manuel Rigger [Slide | Video][Link to the poster]
Lightning talk by Assistant Professor Cynthia S. Q. Siew [Slide | Video][Link to the poster]
Lightning talk by Associate Professor Guillaume Thibault [Slide | Video][Link to the poster]
 Winner |
 Winner |
 Winner: |
 Winner |
 Special Mention |
 Special Mention |
A BIG thank you to Guest of Honour, Facilitators, Speakers, Sponsors, and all participants for your presence, interest, and support in embracing and championing Open Research. We hope to see you again at the next iteration of Singapore Open Research Conference.
