This focal area is concerned with studying and promoting openness of research information, for instance information about the outputs and activities of researchers and research teams. It also focuses on the use of open research information to support evaluation and policy making in science.

The Focal Area Information & Openness (I&O) concerns itself with the complex interplay between decision making processes in science, the information used in these processes, and the nature of this information in terms of properties such as openness, transparency, inclusiveness, and ownership.

In 2024, the focal area introduced its preliminary agenda for the next five years in the blog post Toward open research information. A follow-up blog post From vision to action: our first two years in the focal area Information & Openness (2025) reviewed the focal area’s progress toward its goals and reflected on its development to date. Most recently, a new blog post Advancing open research information: the next three years of the Information & Openness focal area outlines the focal area’s priorities for the years ahead and introduces the consolidated Information & Openness focal area strategic plan 2026-2028.