ORFG has been working behind the scenes to develop a series of playbooks that provide suggestions on plays funders can make to improve the open research ecosystem. Each playbook in the series will address one specific topic germane to open research.
Plays introduced are broad. They can be those that require a “light lift” by an individual, such as sharing information about open projects with colleagues. Some of the plays are “heavier lifts” because they require organizational alignment between staff, teams, and coalitions of organizations.
Each suggested play maps to strategies, goals, potential assessments, and examples when available.
These playbooks are not comprehensive, but rather are the product of ORFG collaborative brainstorming and member-to-member information sharing. They are living documents and may continually evolve as ORFG members gain more experience with the plays, try new plays, or change their strategies and approaches to open.
Unlike other playbooks and funder support documents outlining implementation strategies for improving the open ecosystem, we approach our plays broadly and as iterative mechanisms to be tackled by individuals, small groups, organizations, and/or larger coalitions. We also approach change as an ebb and flow. Political disruption and technological innovations complicate an already difficult and ever changing funding and open landscape. As such, those seeking to improve the open ecosystem must remain flexible and approach changes with humor and an eye for experimentation, rather than perfection.
The first version of the first playbook, ORFG Funder Playbook: Data, is now available here. (doi: 10.5281/zenodo.23930066)