We’re delighted to announce the launch of the first LSHTM Open Research Awards! This award is intended to recognise individuals and teams at LSHTM who are applying open methods and practices in their research.
The award is open to all LSHTM-affiliated researchers, including staff and research degree students, based in London, MRC Unit The Gambia at LSHTM, MRC/UVRI & LSHTM Uganda Research Unit, and elsewhere.
What is Open Research
Open Research, sometimes referred to as ‘open science’ and ‘open scholarship’, represents a way of performing research in a way that makes it more transparent, accessible, and usable. In doing so, it is intended to improve awareness of how research is performed, provide opportunities for others to provide input, and enable work to be more easily built upon.
Open research covers a wide range of activities including:
- Registering a research plan prior to data collection
- Use of citizen science techniques to collect and enhance data
- Development and take-up of open software and hardware to reduce research costs
- Preparation and sharing of open resources, such as data, code, and other outputs.
- Research verification and replication activities.
Who can apply for the award
We invite submissions from all LSHTM-affiliated researchers in London, MRC Unit The Gambia at LSHTM, MRC/UVRI & LSHTM Uganda Research Unit, and elsewhere. This covers:
- Current and recently graduated research degree students (PhD, MPhil, DrPH) who have applied open methods and practices in work they have performed while studying at LSHTM.
- Academic and professional support staff who have applied open practices in funded or unfunded activities while working at LSHTM.
Applications are particularly encouraged from research degree students and early career researchers with a hands-on role in the use of open research practices. Conditions of submission are that: (1) the work must have been performed while the individual/team were working/studying at LSHTM, and (2) the nominee(s) must have had direct involvement in applying the open research method or practice.
How to apply
Nominations for an open research award may be submitted to the following categories:
- LSHTM RD student award: This is open to current and recently graduated research degree students (PhD, MPhil, DrPH) who have applied open methods and practices in work they have performed while studying at LSHTM.
- LSHTM Staff award: This is open to academic and professional support staff who have applied open practices in funded or unfunded activities while working at LSHTM. Nominations may be made as individuals or as teams.
To apply for an Open Research award, LSHTM researchers should prepare and submit a case study outlining how they applied one or more open methods and practices in their research. This case study should be a maximum of 500 words and cover the following aspects:
- Title: the name of the case study
- Abstract: A short introduction that outlines the content of the case study
- Context: a brief description of the research activity in which open practices were applied.
- Open methods applied: A description of the open research methods used, outlining the reason they were chosen and how they were applied.
- Challenges: A description of any barriers or challenges that were encountered and how these were addressed.
- Outcomes: How the use of open methods/practices influenced how the work was performed and its impact upon the work as a whole.
- Conclusion: A concluding statement where you reflect on what you learnt from experience. This may include aspects that could have been done differently.
- Further information: Links to relevant support material, e.g. protocol, R package, Github repository, etc. relevant to the case study (these are not included in the word limit).
Applicants are free to structure their case study as they consider appropriate and do not need to use the above as headings. A Word document template is provided for offline development.
Case studies must be submitted via the Open Research Award Nomination form by Friday May 29, 23:59 PM (UK time). Please contact the Research Data Manager with any questions or issues in relation to submission by emailing researchdatamanagement@lshtm.ac.uk.
Submitted case studies will be evaluated by an open research award panel comprised of LSHTM staff and student representatives from each faculty and unit. The case study will be assessed on the basis of clarity of description, novelty and impact on the research. The primary contact for each submission will be informed of the results via email.
Case study examples
Potential topics for a case study may include, but are not limited to:
- The use of novel open research methods and practices to collect research data and/or enhance research impact
- Work performed to produce or enhance an open resource to enable greater access and use by others.
- The development of tools or other resources that improve access and use of research.
- Activities to champion open research, e.g. causing a journal to adopt pro-open policies, contributing to the development of data harmonisation standards, etc.
This is the first time that LSHTM has run an open research award. However, examples of open research projects can be found on the Newcastle University, University of Exeter, and University of York website.
If you would like to discuss a case study idea, contact the Research Data Manager at researchdatamanagement@lshtm.ac.uk.
Open Research award event
The winner and runner-up for the Staff and Student categories will be invited to present their case study as short talks at an open research award held on Tuesday 7 July, as part of the LSHTM Festival 2026. Presentation may be delivered in-person or online. If an entrant is unable to participate, they are invited to record a presentation in advance.
The winner and runner-up of the Open Research Award will be announced at the end of the LSHTM event. Prizes will be awarded as follows:
Staff category:
- First place: Presentation piece, certificate, gift voucher
- Second place: certificate, gift voucher
RD student category:
- First place: Presentation piece, certificate, gift voucher
- Second place: Certificate, gift voucher
Gift vouchers will be £50 for individual submissions or £50 for each team applicant (up to a maximum of £500).
Key dates
- Submissions open: Monday April 13
- Submission close: Friday May 29, 23:59 (UK time)
- LSHTM Open Research award: Tuesday 7 July, 13:00-14:00 (UK time)
Submission rules
- LSHTM members may nominate themselves or others for an award.
- The staff award category is open to individual and team submissions. The RD student award category is for the individual student being nominated.
- Team entries may include external collaborators, but it is essential that the nomination, presentation, and acceptance of any award is led by an LSHTM member.
- The work being described must have been performed while the individual/team was working or studying at LSHTM.
- Case studies should describe work performed in a recent project, ideally within the past 3 years. However, longer time periods may be accepted.
- Entrants give permission to LSHTM to make the recording of their presentation publicly available, to publish an edited version of the case study, and to disseminate it via internal and external communication channels.
Please send any enquiries concerning the Open Research Award to the Research Data Manager at researchdatamanagement@lshtm.ac.uk.
