Who are the Stewards of Trust?

Stewards of trust are organisations responsible for guiding societal trust in science and facilitating science-society co-creation. Their responsibility emanates either from their official mandate and mission, as in the case of research funding organisations with an interest in science communication and open science, or from their de facto power and influence, as in the case of social media companies that host the interactions of millions of citizens and label certain science-related information as accurate or inaccurate.

How do Stewards of Trust operate?

The stewards of trust interact with one another and with citizens within the ecosystem of trust, i.e. the conceptual space within which societal trust in science is constructed, negotiated, enhanced, or reduced, as well as science-society co-creation and open science are sought.

How are Stewards of Trust’s responsibilities issued?

Their responsibility emanates either from their official mandate and mission, as in the case of research funding organisations with an interest in science communication and open science, or from their de facto power and influence, as in the case of social media companies that host the interactions of millions of citizens and label certain science-related information as accurate or inaccurate.

What is the VERITY exploitation strategy?

To summarise, the key components of the exploitation strategy for VERITY are as follows:

1. Open Approach: Project results, data, publications, and insights will be shared openly, including keeping the website online for three years after the project ends. Data will be deposited in open-access repositories to ensure accessibility. Relevant materials and information will be available through OpenAIRE once the website goes offline.
2. Active Stakeholder Engagement:  Stakeholders will be actively engaged through conferences, workshops, third-party events, and clustering with other projects. 
3. Partnering:  Consortium partners will leverage their connections, strengths, and reputation to ensure exploitation activities within their organizations and directed toward external users. Capacity-building efforts will be undertaken to promote the use of the project's recommendations for stewards of trust.
4. Collaboration with Stakeholder Networks: Collaboration with networks such as EUREC, SB Int, ENERI, and EUA will form the backbone of VERITY's exploitation and sustainability strategy. These networks provide access points and opportunities for collaboration with key stakeholders in the research, innovation, and policy-making domains.
5. VERITY Advisory and Impact Board: The board will be crucial in disseminating project results, providing guidance on exploitation, updating materials, and developing sustainable training opportunities. Their expertise and connections in research ethics, integrity, and university leadership will enhance the project's impact.
6. VERITY Cluster:  The project aims to establish a cluster of relevant ongoing EU-funded projects in the areas of open science, citizen science, research ethics, research infrastructures, and responsible research and innovation. This cluster will foster exchange and cooperation among projects, further leveraging the project's results.
7. Responsible Open Science:  VERITY is committed to responsible open science, ensuring that all project results, data, and publications are openly shared under Creative Common Licenses and deposited in permanent open-access repositories.