About OPERAS Innovation Lab

Scholarship revolves around exchanging ideas, but the methods we use to communicate them constantly evolve. Writing made it possible to convey thoughts without face-to-face interaction, while the invention of print allowed the same message to reach a wider audience. Today, digital formats enable researchers to present their arguments and findings through various media forms. But how is this (r)evolution made in practice? This is precisely what the OPERAS Innovation Lab seeks to explore.

In the world of print, we used to treat books and articles as the end of the research process. But today we can link the text, data and visualisation in one narrative, allowing readers to navigate it in ways they find useful and inspiring. When scholars want to convey practical advice they can create toolkits benefiting from the digital formats of short essays and movie clips. Research blogs allow researchers to communicate their research in the early stages less formally and engage in discussion with their peers and wider audiences. So, the future of writing means using a variety of media forms to communicate research ideas and results better.

Innovative formats of communication look promising and exciting, but they can be challenging for scholars accustomed to traditional methods, such as writing books or articles and delivering lectures in university halls. The OPERAS Innovation Lab aims to bridge this gap by gathering knowledge about new communication practices in the Social Sciences and Humanities and using this insight to assist researchers and other members of the scholarly community in adopting new technologies. 

We OBSERVE novel ideas and solutions and ACCELERATE innovation in the SSH community. 

Accelerating Innovation

The services and tools supported by the OPERAS Innovation Lab will be applied across various contexts, from small research groups to large international collaborations. The services are designed to grow with the needs of the users, ensuring they remain effective as the scale of research projects increases. Scalable solutions are adaptable to different disciplines, languages, and cultural contexts within SSH. This flexibility allows for widespread adoption and ensures that the tools meet the diverse needs of the global research community.

The Lab aims to equip scholars with the necessary skills through training, workshops, and resources, ensuring they stay at the forefront of digital communication practices. We build collaborative networks within and beyond the OPERAS community, connecting researchers, technologists, and industry partners to share ideas and best practices. Committed to advancing open access and open science, the Lab promotes cutting-edge solutions by encouraging interdisciplinary and intersectoral collaboration, leading to the development of innovative tools for scholarly communication.