Professor André Leon Sampaio Gradvohl, from the Faculty of Technology (FT) at Unicamp, was selected to participate, on October 22nd, in the United States, in a meeting with members of Open Researcher and Contributor ID (ORCID), during the which actions to improve that platform will be discussed. ORCID, which is a non-profit organization, is similar to the Lattes Platform in Brazil, but with international coverage.
Gradvohl participated in a kind of international competition, through which ORCID asked registered researchers to offer suggestions for improving the platform. After analyzing these manifestations, four scientists from different countries (two from Brazil) were selected and invited to participate in an individual interview, via videoconference, with representatives from ORCID. After this stage, the FT-Unicamp professor was chosen to take part in the in-person meeting that will take place in the city of Sedona, in the state of Arizona (USA).
Professor Gradvohl considers the choice of his name to participate in discussions around improving ORCID's functionalities as recognition of his work, but also of Brazilian science. He recalls that Brazil has had the Lattes Platform for a long time, which gives the local community a good experience in relation to systems that gather data on scientific production. “In the case of ORCID, two points stand out. Firstly, because the platform has an international reach. Second, because the data is updated automatically”, he analyzes.
One of the points for improvement suggested by the FT-Unicamp professor to ORCID refers to the interaction of researchers and their institutions with society. According to Gradvohl, it is not common for the platform to record information about initiatives linked to scientific dissemination. “As the ORCID team really liked my observation, it is possible that the platform will create a specific space for this type of record”, he infers.
Asked about the difficulties faced by Brazilian researchers, especially at this time when science funding is being cut, Gradvohl understands that this aspect, although not obviously desirable, leads local scientists to be more creative and innovative to overcome adversities. “This might be our differentiator,” he says.
ORCID is a digital identification tool that allows the user to store and manage information related to their production with scientific entities. Through a unique digital identifier, researchers are easily and correctly connected with their activities, research results, publications and employment relationships, among other data.
Unicamp has encouraged its teachers and researchers to register on the platform, as a strategy to give greater visibility to their scientific productions. On the Unicamp Library System (SBU) website, there is a page where registration can be done. The page also provides a series of guidelines for interested parties, such as instructions, video tutorials, infographics and training. Content can be accessed at this address.
