For the second time this year, the Tanenbaum Open Science Institute (TOSI) has welcomed a new partner to its expanding national network. The (CRIUGM), which is affiliated with the Universit茅 de Montr茅al, will contribute its multidisciplinary expertise in the science of aging as the eighth member of this group.
Based at The Neuro, TOSI has established partnerships in recent years with Canadian neuroscience institutes and research centres to accelerate the adoption of Open Science across the country. Instead of imposing a standard Open Science framework for all member institutes, TOSI lets its partners co-develop their own framework that reflects their specific strengths.
This prompted the CRIUGM to create SoCRIUGM, a strategic framework that makes Open Science a linchpin of the centre鈥檚 research. 鈥淥pen Science in aging research is a key aspect of the CRIUGM鈥檚 strategic planning. Along with our new recognition as a TOSI institute, SoCRIUGM is bringing this collaborative vision of scientific practice to life at our centre,鈥� said Oury Monchi, Scientific Director of CRIUGM.鈥�
CRIUGM will add a unique Open Science approach to this network of partners that stems from a holistic vision of health and aging that goes beyond simply treating or slowing down age-related pathologies. Instead, the goal is to improve overall lifestyles so that people can live healthier and more independently for longer.
This model is based not only on multidisciplinary research that combines neuroscience with other fields, such as the social sciences or movement sciences, but also on innovative technologies developed with patients. These patient-focused projects include the , a living laboratory that tests new solutions under real conditions to concretely improve seniors鈥� daily lives.
Nathalie Bier, the researcher who oversees CRIUGM鈥檚 living laboratories and a full professor at the Universit茅 de Montr茅al, said that 鈥渇or me, Open Science begins as soon as researchers think and care about hearing and recognizing the needs of citizens or extra-academic organizations. This is a crucial first step toward open collaborations that foster sharing and an equitable recognition of everyone鈥檚 expertise and that get all stakeholders working together to address complex societal issues.鈥濃��
When it comes to neuroscience specifically, CRIUGM鈥檚 approach has been to integrate new technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), as can be seen in the project. 鈥淯sing both neuroscience and AI, Courtois NeuroMod compiled datasets of the brain activity of six people who engaged in complex tasks every week for five years,鈥� explained Lune Bellec, CRIUGM Representative for Digital Health and Scientific Director of Courtois NeuroMod. 鈥淭his level of detail in our understanding of the brain is only possible through close collaboration with the international scientific community. At this scale, Open Science isn鈥檛 an option鈥攊t鈥檚 a necessity.鈥�
These new research avenues enhance the TOSI network by laying the groundwork for collaborations that go beyond neuroscience to combine multidisciplinary research with technological innovation. This partnership marks yet another step toward expansion into new fields that will help scientists address complex societal challenges. For Dr. Guy Rouleau, TOSI Co-Founder and Director of The Neuro, 鈥渋t is inspiring to see this growing commitment to Open Science in Quebec and Canada. I am delighted to have CRIUGM as a partner in our TOSI network. With this centre鈥檚 specialization in geriatric research, we can see the power of Open Science to bring together diverse types of researchers to advance our understanding of the brain.鈥�
The official launch of SoCRIUGM will be held from 2 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. on April 30, 2025 at CRIUGM.
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