Social scientists, an increasing number of humanities colleagues, and artists use services like Figshare to share their research data, images or other digital objects.

Today, Digital Science is a vibrant mix of those companies that we’ve invested in over the last decade.

Digital Science research through to publishing and then contextualising information. That was the interim a number of similar grants A more collaborative approach to research to dissemination, evaluation, and impact. the reason for building Dimensions and have become available. As we have On that journey, over the last decade, for releasing it on Google Cloud’s data matured ourselves, we think we need a we have learned a lot including what our warehouse, BigQuery, in 2020. Altmetric, fresh approach. Watch this space…! Digital Science is a company that looks to improve old research practices with new tools and technologies. CEO Daniel chosen structure is good at nurturing CCT, IFI Claims, Symplectic Elements, Hook believes that investing in, supporting and promoting businesses and innovations that make the research process and supporting and what we’re not Scismic and Digital Science’s consultancy How might a scientist use these different more open and efficient is the key to enabling researchers to make a real difference. Is it possible that in the future we able to do well. That has meant making team are all involved in helping people smart tools on a day-to-day basis? might see a collaborative research ecosystem that drives progress for all? choices about which areas of the research make better decisions through capturing, Although the name Digital Science lifecycle we focus on. analysing or using data at different points does seem to suggest a science (or in the research cycle. even a science, technology, engineering t ten years old, Digital Science the Nature Publishing Group (Macmillan today, is that it was imagined as a There are now two unifying themes and medicine) bias, this is actually a – the company looking for Publishers) and it had multiple layers. company that would grow through behind what we’re trying to do. Firstly, we With your Catalyst Grant, you are misconception. Most of our tools and Ainnovative ways to make all parts Firstly, at that time, the software that investment in very early stage start-ups. try to help all researchers communicate looking for new software ideas to fund. services are developed for researchers in of the research process more efficient researchers, academic institutions, Today, Digital Science is a vibrant mix of their research more effectively. This could What do you offer grantees and what general. We find lots of social scientists, and effective – is as relevant as ever. By publishers, funders and industrial those companies that we’ve invested in be helping them discover reference does this cooperation look like? an increasing number of humanities addressing each stage of the research research organisations had available to over the last decade with deep domain material through Dimensions, managing Our Catalyst programme has received a colleagues, and artists use services like lifecycle, and investing in technologies them to do many research-related tasks expertise associated with the different relevant references in ReadCube Papers, wide-ranging set of proposals – from lab- Figshare to share their research data, that benefit every type of researcher, was mostly home-built or niche. The team products. Each company is both part of sharing research data and supplementary automation tools and artificial intelligence images or other digital objects. We see Digital Science are always looking for from Nature who started Digital Science Digital Science and also preserves its files onFigshare , or collaborative writing approaches to just about every part of use of ReadCube Papers, our reference ways to revitalise the ‘science ecosystem’. had a vision to bring researchers the high- own culture. with Overleaf. More recently, we’ve the research cycle and even a special management platform, by many types quality software tools that they deserved. enriched the writing environment by blockchain prize. Several Digital Science of researchers. While Overleaf, the Research Outreach interviewed CEO Secondly, Digital Science was Nature’s Digital Science invests in and supports partnering with Ripeta to highlight parts investments have come either directly or collaborative writing platform, was Daniel Hook, who told us more about answer to the challenge of corporate 14 different software companies, of a manuscript that might not meet indirectly out of the Catalyst programme, originally written by mathematicians for who Digital Science are, the projects they innovation. Critically, it was created with each focused on a different aspect of reproducibility standards and Writefull to including Overleaf, Ripeta, Scismic, technical writing, its user-friendly interface support, and what the company can offer a remit to try out new business models, research. Can you tell us more about help both native and non-native English TetraScience and Writefull. hides the underlying LaTeX language for scientists, research institutions, industry even if those business models might the scope of services these different speakers to write better English. those who are not used to it and has an and even policy makers. disrupt its parent company. companies offer? Following a decade of running Catalyst increasing following across academia with From the beginning, the idea was to Our second unifying theme is about we’ve decided to hit pause while we more than six million active users. What is the idea behind Digital Science? Another facet of Digital Science, and cover as many of the key points around supporting decisions. We live in an age look at refreshing the format. When we When Digital Science was founded in possibly the most important one in the research lifecycle as possible; from where context is becoming increasingly set up the grant there were few options Through Overleaf an author might 2010, the company was a spin off from terms of how the company operates the lab bench to writing up a piece of critical; the best decisions need the best available to early-stage founders, but in experience Writefull, as they check

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Dimensions allows scientists to understand the level of development of a specific field – such Before publishing, an author can check their manuscript through Ripeta to see if it meets reproducibility guidelines. Through Dimensions, researchers can discover reference material. as research regarding COVID-19. their grammar with a tool that is aware Which tools would you recommend to between research colleagues in a in collaborative research environments in UN’s Sustainable Development Goals expected to be data scientists as well. of how scholarly writing works. Before industry professionals or funders? copyright compliant manner. Finally, one client institution. That work allowed (SDGs). Sustainability is such an important They are expected to make evidence- publishing, an author might check their Many of Digital Science’s tools work just no question of this nature would be the institution in question to make topic and to be able to do something led decisions not only in their research manuscript through Ripeta to see if it as well for industry professionals and complete without mention of the CCT changes in their hiring policies, so as to that has such broad applicability and but also professionally: which post doc meets reproducibility guidelines. Many funders as for academic institutions and Grant Tracker. A more recent addition to improve gender balance in a way that use is always a real pleasure. The direct to hire, which research areas to invest in, researchers will be Symplectic Elements publishers. For collaborative technical Digital Science, the CCT team provides didn’t disrupt existing successes. outcome of the project was a detailed who to collaborate with. users when they curate their scholarly document writing, the Overleaf platform a highly configurable grant application analysis of how open research has record within their institution for their web offers a great experience that many workflow management system for many Based on all the experience and societal impact in relation to the SDGs. A While the free version of Dimensions profile page, while inElements they will researchers love. For industrial partners, of the world’s top funders. exposure to emerging research questions side-effect of the project is that we were allows researchers to address these key see the colourful Altmetric doughnuts, it is often the case that they have from HEIs, the consultancy team is able to develop a categorisation scheme questions to help support their work, which can also be found on many enhanced security requirements and for You also offer consultancy to higher sometimes able to bring these ideas in Dimensions to allow an SDG-centric the institutional version of Dimensions publisher websites, that tell them about those cases, we have an installed version education institutions (HEIs), for example together in one of our free-to-read Digital view on global research. allows researchers and administrators the non-scholarly attention associated of Overleaf that they can deploy inside helping with REF2021. How exactly can Research Reports (for example, this report to do much more subtle analysis. For with their work. Dimensions might help a their firewall. HEIs benefit from your services? on COVID-19), which showcases the Do you have any final tips example, you can use Dimensions is to researcher to locate a piece of research, Digital Science’s consultancy team various aspects of our team’s capabilities. for researchers? understand the level of development of find a collaborator or to understand a Dimensions is our flagship product and takes on projects for HEIs as well as for Use Dimensions! I have to say that. a specific research field: is it embryonic topic before deciding whether to attend brings together data on publications, funders, industry organisations and policy Tell us about some projects you The job of the researcher is becoming with just a few researchers working in the that departmental colloquium. citations, awarded grants, clinical trials, makers. The projects that we take on are are most proud of. more complex. Today, every researcher field at a small number of institutions? policy documents, patents and datasets varied – from simple data analyses to One recent project that springs to mind is asked to be a mini entrepreneur, Has it reached an expansion phase where in a fully linked information system. Data more complex, computationally intensive is the work that we did in collaboration but often without any training in many people are becoming interested? and analyses can be accessed through models that use a wide range of data with our sister company Springer Nature, entrepreneurship, technology, managing Has it moved from theory to translation? Daniel Hook is the Dimensions web interface and API or to formulate insights for our clients the Association of Universities in the people or any of the other skills that Dimensions can give very rapid insights CEO of Digital Science. through our recently launched integration and partners. We have also delivered Netherlands, the Dutch Consortium of seem to be increasingly critical. Some into complex questions such as these. with Google BigQuery, which makes the surveys, report writing, training to University Libraries and the National will say that it’s always been that way, but data even more accessible via a range build both analytical and technological Library to develop a classification for the now, on top of all of that, researchers are of business intelligence tools. It is also capability within organisations, assessed well-positioned for funders wishing to do organisational readiness for technology portfolio analyses – looking, for example, change, assisted research strategy at the outcomes of their programmes or formulation, co-authored reports and Many of Digital Science’s tools work making strategic decisions about which academic papers, and even carried out areas of research need funding. custom development for some projects. just as well for industry professionals W: digital-science.com @DigitalSci @DigiScience ReadCube Papers is another Digital We’ve developed a few really interesting and funders as for academic @Digital Science Science product that is well known in relationships with HEIs around the world. institutions and publishers. industrial circles. It is a great solution if One of our most interesting and impactful you want to share scholarly publications projects was to look at the role of gender

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