The OSIRIS project was prominently featured at the Professional Day of the Flagship Research Group and Research Excellence Programme, hosted by our partner institution, MATE University (Hungary), where scientific integrity and reproducibility took centre stage.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hynek Roubík, Dean of the Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences at our partner institution, the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague (CZU) and OSIRIS WP6 Lead, was invited as a keynote speaker, while Dr. Monika Varga, OSIRIS expert and Senior Researcher from our partner institution the Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences (MATE) highlighted how OSIRIS is working to embed reproducibility into the foundation of scientific research across Europe.
Reproducibility and Research Excellence: A Shared Vision
Held at MATE’s flagship event dedicated to academic strategy and research excellence, the gathering brought together high-level researchers and institutional leaders to discuss reproducibility, internationalisation, and academic visibility.
In his keynote lecture, titled “Advancing Academic Excellence: Strategies for Growth, Organisational Development, and Scientific Reproducibility,” Dr. Roubík addressed how universities can:
- Build institutional capacity to support quality research
- Foster international scientific collaboration
- Integrate reproducibility into the research lifecycle
- Leverage tools and insights from OSIRIS to improve transparency and credibility
Drawing on his experience at the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague (CZU) and the OSIRIS project, Dr. Roubík emphasised that reproducibility is not just a technical challenge; it’s a strategic priority for trustworthy science.
MATE’s Role in OSIRIS: Institutional Action in Practice
In the afternoon session, Dr. Monika Varga presented MATE’s efforts within the OSIRIS project, showcasing how the university is aligning its research ecosystem with the project’s goals. She shared ongoing initiatives aimed at:
- Promoting reproducible research practices
- Raising awareness of open science within agricultural and life sciences
- Connecting institutional strategy with European-level reproducibility standards
Dr. Varga also summarised the reproducibility-related activities and results of the OSIRIS project. She highlighted that MATE’s role is to represent the specificities of agricultural and related life sciences, with a particular emphasis on computational reproducibility. She explained that the research community is experiencing a major shift, as high-quality journals are increasingly requiring that researchers support the conclusions of their publications with accessible data, at a minimum in line with the FAIR principles, and also share the analytical and computational methods used. This shift reflects a growing demand for transparency, robustness, and accountability in scientific publishing.
Her presentation reflected OSIRIS’s unique strength: bridging local institutional efforts with broader systemic change.
International Collaboration Driving Cultural Change
Other speakers included Prof. Dr. Csaba Gyuricza, Rector of MATE, and Prof. Dr. Zoltán Kovács, Director of Research Strategy, who highlighted MATE’s positioning in international rankings and its growing commitment to research integrity.
The day also featured a global perspective on reproducibility from Prof. Daniel Ames (Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Environmental Modelling and Software), reinforcing the event’s role as a platform for global dialogue.
Dr. Roubík closed with a reflection on the momentum OSIRIS is building:
“It was an honour to represent OSIRIS at MATE University’s flagship event. Strengthening research culture starts with conversations like these, connecting policy, practice, and people across institutions and borders.”– Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hynek Roubík
OSIRIS in Action
This event underscored OSIRIS’s expanding influence across European institutions, demonstrating how committed researchers like Hynek Roubík and Monika Varga are helping shape a more reproducible, transparent, and collaborative future for science.
Stay tuned for updates on other OSIRIS activities! Visit our website to read our blogs and events section and follow us on social media to discover what’s new and how you can get involved!
Keep In Touch