Open Science Award 2025: UHK Recognized Examples of Truly Open Science
Author: Lenka Špičanová, Open Science Office
The University of Hradec Králové has announced the results of the first year of the Open Science Award, a competition recognizing outstanding examples of open, transparent, and responsible scientific work. An eight-member evaluation committee, composed of Open Science experts, faculty representatives, university leadership, and the Ethics Committee for Research, assessed the applications based on the degree and quality of openness, scientific and societal impact, originality of approach, and long-term sustainability. The awards were presented at a pre-Christmas celebratory event by the Vice-Rector for Science, Research, and Knowledge Transfer, Assoc. Prof. Ing. Hana Tomášková, Ph.D.
“I’m pleased to see how the support for Open Science has been built and stabilized at UHK, and the high-quality work being carried out by the Open Science Office. Thanks to this system-wide support, it became clear that there was a lack of visible recognition for concrete examples of best practices and the people who truly embody open science. This first edition of the Open Science Award has confirmed that open science is not just a formal requirement but a natural part of scientific quality and academic integrity,” said Assoc. Prof. Hana Tomášková.
1st Place: Prof. Ing. Ondřej Krejcar, Ph.D., MPA
Improving Internet of Vehicles Research: A Systematic Preprocessing Framework for the VeReMi Dataset and Providing a FAIR Data Set
The winning project presents a technically precise and internationally relevant example of open science. The openly accessible FAIR dataset, accompanied by an Open Access publication, significantly increases transparency and reusability in the field of Internet of Vehicles security research. The jury praised the high level of openness, methodological quality, and clearly demonstrated scientific impact.
“Honestly, I didn’t expect to succeed among the many high-quality research outcomes at UHK, which makes the recognition even more rewarding. This is, however, a team achievement. I’d particularly like to mention Prof. Debotosh Bhattacharjee from Jadavpur University in India, with whom I’ve had a long-standing collaboration. My motivation for entering the competition was also to promote Open Science and highlight how it relates to handling the results of academic creative work,” said Prof. Ondřej Krejcar.
2nd Place: Mgr. Martina Bolom Kotari, Ph.D. & Mgr. Jindřich Kolda, Ph.D.
NAKI Project “The Gate of Wisdom Opened”
Second place went to a project that applied open science principles in the humanities in an exceptional way. The committee recognized the breadth and diversity of open outputs, from scholarly publications to databases, methodologies, maps, and audiovisual content, and their accessibility to academic communities, students, and the public. The project sets a high standard for openness in a field where this is still not the norm, while making significant cultural, educational, and scientific contributions.
“This award belongs to the entire Hradec-based team behind 'The Gate of Wisdom Opened', led by colleague Martina Bolom Kotari. The team included academics, students, librarians, filmmakers, heritage experts, and museum professionals. I believe we’ve shown a path forward for historical sciences, one that involves close collaboration with exact disciplines and responds to public interest. Applying Open Science principles elevates such projects to a higher qualitative level and ensures their relevance long after completion,” emphasized Dr. Jindřich Kolda.
3rd Place: Mgr. Lukáš Vízek, Ph.D.
Open Research in Mathematics Education
Third place was awarded for a long-term developed open research practice in the field of mathematics education, which connects high-quality Open Access publications, open methodology, and systematic transfer of results into pedagogical practice. The recognized activity has a significant impact on the teaching community and the education of future teachers and contributes to the development of an open and responsible scientific culture.
“I value this recognition and am glad I’ve been able to contribute to open science at the University of Hradec Králové. In my case, the co-authors are Libuše Samková from the University of South Bohemia and Jon R. Star from Harvard University in the U.S. I hope this award encourages others by showing that it's possible to do top-quality research in education using open science practices,” added Lukáš Vízek.
The awarded projects clearly demonstrate that open science at UHK takes many forms, from high-quality datasets to open-access humanities resources to research with direct impact on education. The common thread is the effort to make scientific results accessible, understandable, and truly usable. It also becomes evident that openness is not just a buzzword, it genuinely enhances the quality and societalrelevance of research.
