ToscanaOpenResearch (TOR) was established within the framework of the Regional Conference for Research and Innovation, a consultative body of the Regional Government, as a tool supporting the policies of the Region of Tuscany. TOR aims to promote transparent and inclusive governance, and to communicate and enhance the strengths of the Tuscan research, innovation and higher education system.
The portal features an information dashboard with visualisations related to the key aspects of the three thematic areas mentioned above. The objective is to make the available open data more accessible using Linked Open Data technology, and to encourage its use within the relevant economic and social systems. For this reason, all data from the visualisations is available to download and use according to the individual requirements of each user.
The Region of Tuscany has a long-standing set of policies designed to support the regional system of research, technology transfer and higher education, with the aim of promoting the Tuscan territory. To develop a qualified knowledge base in these fields, the Region established the Regional Observatory for Research and Innovation (Regional Law 20/2009), an information tool that supports the planning and implementation of initiatives in the relevant areas. The Observatory, which is based at IRPET, serves as a policy intelligence instrument, integrating, exploring and utilising data on the higher education, research and innovation system. It aims to enhance the Tuscan ecosystem in these spheres, develop new policies and monitor existing projects.
The portal has its own dedicated YouTube profile and is the result of collaboration between several departments and directorates within the Region of Tuscany that support research activities within the territory. It also emerged from active collaboration between the Regional Institute for Economic Planning of Tuscany (IRPET), the Fondazione Sistema Toscana (FST) institute and business representatives, as well as between universities and research centres across Tuscany. For more than two years, these stakeholders participated in a co-design and joint reflection process through a series of workshops and working groups, which gave them access to the system and enabled them to contribute to its improvement. Consultation meetings and working groups were also launched with national and international reference agencies and bodies, including AlmaLaurea, OpenAIRE, UIBM and Cineca. The TOR is currently being developed through a collaboration between the Directorate for Education, Training, Research and Employment and the Directorate for Information Systems, Technological Infrastructure and Innovation of the Region of Tuscany, Siris Academic (domain expert) and Fondazione Sistema Toscana (portal development).
All this collaborative work made it possible to develop a participatory methodology and a tailored approach to strategic issues concerning the policies supporting research, technology transfer and higher education.
The co-design methodology employed by ToscanaOpenResearch has been recognised as a national best practice within the Italian PON Governance initiative, Open Community PA 2020.
In 2024, the Region of Tuscany also joined the “Barcelona Declaration on Open Research Information” to emphasise its commitment to promoting policies based on “open” information to support transparent and inclusive (evidence-based) decision-making processes.