From 3–6 May 2026, the OSIRIS project will take part in the 9th World Conference on Research Integrity (WCRI 2026) in Vancouver, one of the world’s leading global gatherings dedicated to strengthening research integrity and responsible research practices. 

At this year’s conference, OSIRIS partners from Work Packages 2 and 3  (WP2 & WP3) will present new evidence and practical tools that examine how reproducibility is currently supported across Europe, and where significant gaps remain. 

Reproducibility Is Not the Same Everywhere 

One of the central OSIRIS contributions at WCRI 2026 explores how drivers, barriers, and incentives for reproducibility vary across the European research landscape. 

Based on interviews with 60 researchers across Europe and focus group discussions involving research funders, journal editors, institutional leadership, national reproducibility networks, journal clubs, and civil society organisations, the study reveals a complex and uneven ecosystem. Reproducibility challenges differ depending on gender, career stage, discipline, geography, and institutional funding capacity. 

Rather than treating reproducibility as a uniform issue, OSIRIS demonstrates that context matters. Structural conditions, disciplinary cultures, and institutional incentives all shape researchers’ ability and willingness to adopt reproducible practices. This granular understanding provides an evidence base for designing policies that are realistic, targeted, and adaptable across diverse European contexts. 

Are Institutions Truly Supporting Reproducibility? 

A second major presentation examines how journals, funders, and research institutions support reproducibility using the revised Transparency and Openness Promotion framework (TOP 2025). 

The OSIRIS team assessed leading journals publishing Horizon 2020 research, the largest public research funders in EU Member States and the UK, and top research-performing institutions. Institutional documentation and policies were systematically reviewed against the TOP 2025 criteria. 

Preliminary findings suggest that while data sharing is increasingly recognised across organisations, broader transparency and verification mechanisms remain limited. Requirements for sharing materials and code are less consistently embedded, and independent verification of research practices, including checks on reporting accuracy or computational reproducibility, is largely absent. Support for replication and verification studies also remains rare. 

These findings highlight a critical gap between endorsing open science principles and the structural mechanisms needed to ensure they are implemented effectively. 

From Monitoring to Practical Tools 

Beyond mapping barriers and auditing policies, OSIRIS will also present concrete instruments aimed at improving practice. 

The Observatory of Open Science Practices in biomedical journals will be presented publicly for the first time in its final form. The tool evaluates journal policies, identifies strengths and limitations, and highlights areas where transparency standards could be strengthened. 

In parallel, OSIRIS will showcase a pilot reproducibility checklist and new findings from a survey on computational reproducibility. Together, these initiatives move beyond diagnosis and toward practical implementation, offering stakeholders tangible mechanisms to monitor and improve research practices. 

Bringing Evidence to the Global Stage 

By contributing empirical data, policy analysis, and operational tools, OSIRIS brings a multi-level perspective to WCRI 2026. The project’s presence at the conference reflects its commitment to advancing reproducibility not only through advocacy but through structured assessment, stakeholder engagement, and evidence-based reform. 

As global conversations on research integrity continue to evolve, OSIRIS contributes a European perspective grounded in data and practical action, helping shape the next phase of transparency and openness in research. 

The OSIRIS project is funded by Horizon Europe (Grant Agreement No. 101094725). The views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or ERA.