CRDCN is pleased to announce that Natalie Harrower, Executive Director of CRDCN, has been appointed to the Academic Advisory Board of the Global Research Initiative on Open Science (GRIOS), an international effort to strengthen evidence-based open science policy and practice.
GRIOS recently established its Academic Advisory Board following a highly competitive international selection process. Comprising 11 leading scholars from nine countries across Europe, Africa, and the Americas, the Board held its inaugural meeting on February 19, 2026. The establishment of GRIOS marks a new stage in open science that is reflective about the overall aims and approaches behind the movement to more transparent, sharable research. GRIOS aims to generate actionable evidence that will support decision-making by research funders, universities, governments, and researchers. By synthesizing findings from existing studies across a range of open science topics, the initiative will help identify which approaches are most effective and where further innovation and policy development are needed.
Natalie Harrower’s appointment complements CRDCN’s strategic priority of supporting open science practices as they relate to sensitive data and social science research practices. “Through participation in GRIOS, CRDCN contributes to international efforts to better understand how open science policies can enhance research transparency, collaboration, and impact while maintaining strong standards for data stewardship and privacy protection,” says Dr. Harrower.
During its first meeting, the Academic Advisory Board worked with the GRIOS Steering Committee to review early findings from a commissioned literature study on open science and to identify priority topics for upcoming systematic reviews. The Board also established its work plan and timeline for the year ahead, with the first call for commissioned reviews expected to be released soon.
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