Fostering Innovation through Open Science: A cross-sector roadmap for impact

About ORCA  

The Open Research Community Accelerator (ORCA) is a non-profit focused on making science more engaging, accessible, and actionable. ORCA prides itself on being a “doing shop” rather than a “talking shop,” with an emphasis on tangible outcomes and meaningful impact. We have a unique ability to build inclusive, big-tent coalitions that transcend boundaries—whether geographic, disciplinary, sectoral, or career-stage, creating spaces where diverse voices converge to drive innovation and action.

We are proud to partner with a diverse range of organizations to advance our mission, including NSF, NASA, UNESCO, CERN, Science Europe, the Gordon & Betty Moore Foundation, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Schmidt Sciences, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, the University of California’s Haas School of Business, Georgetown University’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology, the Academic Data Science Alliance, and the Belmont Forum. More on ORCA programs and activities may be found here.

About this briefing

This briefing constitutes the first stage of the “Fostering Innovation Network” (FIN) project by ORCA. FIN will explore practical ways to leverage the potential of open science, open source, and open data to fuel innovation, accelerate discovery, power AI breakthroughs, catalyze economic growth, and drive societal progress.

In this context, the goal of this report is to brief readers on some of the most salient economic and societal benefits of open science practices and policies today. We aim to synthesize real world evidence that makes a compelling case for open science as a driver of science, technology and innovation. To make it easier for industry and funders to see themselves in this work, we provide specific callouts within each section highlighting key takeaways.

This work was made possible through generous support from Schmidt Sciences.