How long can samples be stored in a biobank? Does one pay to store the samples or to use them? Who can access them? And how do geopolitics impact such facilities? Geneticist Alessandro De Grandi, head of the Eurac Research biobank has the answers.

The most obvious answer is to preserve biological samples, but there’s much more to it than that. 

So, what’s a biobank actually for?

How Academic Bullying Led This Data Scientist to Open Science

Jess Delves, a researcher at the  Center for Global Mountain Safeguard Research has edited a book on the growing mountain metropolis.  [Sustainable Futures in Southern Africa's Mountains](https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-15773-8) is an open access book and collaborative effort between the University of the Free State and the Afromontane Research Unit which presents a multidisciplinary approach on developing cities and places the [United Nation's Sustainable Development Goal's](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustainable_Development_Goals) at the heart of these research questions.

Most people haven’t heard of Phuthaditjhaba but what’s happening there can provide insights to some of the greatest challenges we are facing in terms of climate change, overpopulation and resource management. 

Open access answers for an emerging city

Both draw on their first-hand experience - she started working at Eurac Research in 1998 and he in 1994 - to review how research has changed over the years and how the people who do the research have also changed. Not only that, but limnologist Roberta Bottarin and constitutionalist Francesco Palermo also reflect on how increasingly essential it is to communicate their work.

Conversations between disciplines: interview with limnologist Roberta Bottarin and constitutionalist Francesco Palermo.

"Democracy is risky" 

Mountains unite them: Ecologist Ulrike Tappeiner has been studying alpine ecosystems for four decades and keeps records on climate change and biodiversity. Emergency Physician Hermann Brugger researches the effects of altitude on the human body. Both work with huge data sets, from which they extract answers to scientific questions from months, often years of work. It's time-consuming, but it's the only way to gradually gain a better understanding of our complex world. 

Conversations between disciplines: interview with ecologist Ulrike Tappeiner and emergency physician Hermann Brugger.

"The most direct route is rarely feasible"

Software development for data processing in science has become so highly complex that it can only be mastered through the transparent teamwork of experts across borders and institutions. Johannes Rainer, a bioinformatician at the Institute of Biomedicine, takes up the mantle for/ shares his thoughts on the relevance of Open Science in his interview. His efforts in the field, earnt him the [Open Research Award 2021](https://www.eurac.edu/en/research-support/open-science/open-research/open-research-award).

Interview with Johannes Rainer, bioinformatics expert

Among like-minded people 

Analyzing large amounts of data is a complicated task. Tackling this vast offering of information with sub-optimal tools is a waste of time and limits the research outcome. That’s why next gen scientists like Mattia Rossi and Giulio Genova - employ Open Source IT skills in order to create customized and more importantly shared tools, despite the fact that neither are computational scientists. For their contribution, Rossi and Genova were awarded with 2021’s Open Research Award. 

Tales from the community using Open-Source software to create their own working tools

When Excel is not enough

Many funding programs mandate data sharing. Some scientists do it out of obligation, others with great enthusiasm. Alberto Scotti, a young limnologist who studies invertebrates living in freshwater, definitely belongs to the latter category.

A conversation with limnologist Alberto Scotti

Open Research pays off especially for small players

A conversation with data scientist and open knowledge evangelist Paola Chiara Masuzzo on greedy scientific publishers, the extra cost of keeping data in the closet, and how Open Science can reconcile the fraught relationship between science and society. 

Research culture is in many aspects broken. Making this secretive machinery transparent could help fix it.

Open Science: Prying Open the Black Box

Was passiert mit einer Sammlung von Schüleraufsätzen, wenn ein Forschungsprojekt zur Verwendung der Lernersprache abgeschlossen ist? Was, wenn andere Zugriff auf diese Daten haben möchten? Häufig verschwinden sie in Archiven oder auf Servern und sie wieder aufzuspüren, kostet Zeit und Geld und erfordert Vorwissen zu den Daten. Wir haben mit Sprachwissenschaftler Egon Stemle gesprochen, der mit seinem Team am Institut für Angewandte Sprachforschung mit dem [Open Research Award 2021](https://www.eurac.edu/en/research-support/open-science/open-research/open-research-award) ausgezeichnet wurde.

Die europäische Initiative CLARIN stellt Forschenden und anderen Interessierten, die mit sprachbasierten Daten arbeiten, eine vernetzte Umgebung zur Verfügung, die es erlaubt, Daten dauerhaft zu archivieren, zu verbreiten und wiederzuverwenden. Ein Gespräch mit Computerlinguisten Egon W. Stemle.  

Sprachdaten für alle zugänglich machen

Never a better time for open science

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Magazine

open science
all tags

article

article

So, what’s a biobank actually for?

The most obvious answer is to preserve biological samples, but there’s much more to it than that.

How Academic Bullying Led This Data Scientist to Open Science

interview

interview

Open access answers for an emerging city

Most people haven’t heard of Phuthaditjhaba but what’s happening there can provide insights to some of the greatest challenges we are facing in terms of climate change, ...

interview

interview

"Democracy is risky"

Conversations between disciplines: interview with limnologist Roberta Bottarin and constitutionalist Francesco Palermo.

interview

interview

"The most direct route is rarely feasible"

Conversations between disciplines: interview with ecologist Ulrike Tappeiner and emergency physician Hermann Brugger.

interview

interview

Among like-minded people

Interview with Johannes Rainer, bioinformatics expert

article

article

When Excel is not enough

Tales from the community using Open-Source software to create their own working tools

interview

interview

Open Research pays off especially for small players

A conversation with limnologist Alberto Scotti

interview

interview

Open Science: Prying Open the Black Box

Research culture is in many aspects broken. Making this secretive machinery transparent could help fix it.

interview

interview

Sprachdaten für alle zugänglich machen

Die europäische Initiative CLARIN stellt Forschenden und anderen Interessierten, die mit sprachbasierten Daten arbeiten, eine vernetzte Umgebung zur Verfügung, die es erlaubt, ...

Never a better time for open science

Magazine

open scienceall tags

article

article

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The most obvious answer is to preserve biological samples, but there’s much more to it than that.self.__wrap_b(":Rjja3aejlm:",1)

How Academic Bullying Led This Data Scientist to Open Scienceself.__wrap_b(":R1ada5aejlm:",1)

interview

interview

Open access answers for an emerging cityself.__wrap_b(":Rija7aejlm:",1)

Most people haven’t heard of Phuthaditjhaba but what’s happening there can provide insights to some of the greatest challenges we are facing in terms of climate change, ...self.__wrap_b(":Rjja7aejlm:",1)

interview

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"Democracy is risky"self.__wrap_b(":Rija9aejlm:",1)

Conversations between disciplines: interview with limnologist Roberta Bottarin and constitutionalist Francesco Palermo.self.__wrap_b(":Rjja9aejlm:",1)

interview

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"The most direct route is rarely feasible"self.__wrap_b(":Rijabaejlm:",1)

Conversations between disciplines: interview with ecologist Ulrike Tappeiner and emergency physician Hermann Brugger.self.__wrap_b(":Rjjabaejlm:",1)

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Among like-minded peopleself.__wrap_b(":Rijadaejlm:",1)

Interview with Johannes Rainer, bioinformatics expertself.__wrap_b(":Rjjadaejlm:",1)

article

article

When Excel is not enoughself.__wrap_b(":Rijafaejlm:",1)

Tales from the community using Open-Source software to create their own working toolsself.__wrap_b(":Rjjafaejlm:",1)

interview

interview

Open Research pays off especially for small playersself.__wrap_b(":Rijahaejlm:",1)

A conversation with limnologist Alberto Scottiself.__wrap_b(":Rjjahaejlm:",1)

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Open Science: Prying Open the Black Boxself.__wrap_b(":Rijajaejlm:",1)

Research culture is in many aspects broken. Making this secretive machinery transparent could help fix it.self.__wrap_b(":Rjjajaejlm:",1)

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Sprachdaten für alle zugänglich machenself.__wrap_b(":Rijalaejlm:",1)

Die europäische Initiative CLARIN stellt Forschenden und anderen Interessierten, die mit sprachbasierten Daten arbeiten, eine vernetzte Umgebung zur Verfügung, die es erlaubt, ...self.__wrap_b(":Rjjalaejlm:",1)

Never a better time for open scienceself.__wrap_b(":R1adanaejlm:",1)

open science
all tags

So, what’s a biobank actually for?

The most obvious answer is to preserve biological samples, but there’s much more to it than that.

How Academic Bullying Led This Data Scientist to Open Science

Open access answers for an emerging city

Most people haven’t heard of Phuthaditjhaba but what’s happening there can provide insights to some of the greatest challenges we are facing in terms of climate change, ...

"Democracy is risky"

Conversations between disciplines: interview with limnologist Roberta Bottarin and constitutionalist Francesco Palermo.

"The most direct route is rarely feasible"

Conversations between disciplines: interview with ecologist Ulrike Tappeiner and emergency physician Hermann Brugger.

Among like-minded people

Interview with Johannes Rainer, bioinformatics expert

When Excel is not enough

Tales from the community using Open-Source software to create their own working tools

Open Research pays off especially for small players

A conversation with limnologist Alberto Scotti

Open Science: Prying Open the Black Box

Research culture is in many aspects broken. Making this secretive machinery transparent could help fix it.

Sprachdaten für alle zugänglich machen

Die europäische Initiative CLARIN stellt Forschenden und anderen Interessierten, die mit sprachbasierten Daten arbeiten, eine vernetzte Umgebung zur Verfügung, die es erlaubt, ...

Never a better time for open science