Our global ESMRMB workshop, MRI Together, is returning in December 2024 for its fourth edition!

MRITogether is a global online event on open, reproducible, and inclusive MRI research. The meeting hosts lectures, panel discussions, and hands-on workshops by prominent speakers from industry and academia. Topics range from statistical tools for reproducible research to open hardware and software practices, data sharing policies, open publication, obstacles and best practices in sustainable open MRI, as well as navigating funding and job market landscapes.

This year’s edition will follow the theme of “Staying Together”, i.e., how to accomplish long-term support and development of Open MRI projects. We will learn from successful projects, how the initial enthusiasm and excitement about open MRI can be transformed into a sustainable workflow and what the funding landscape looks like for open-source projects. But, knowing that not all projects are fit for open science, we will also have an honest look at why people decide (not) to pursue open science in MRI and want to invite stakeholders with diverse opinions from research, industry, publishers, and regulatory bodies. We hope to inspire researchers already immersed in open science practices to become part of the broader open science community, and we want to contribute with guidelines to open science in emerging MRI Applications.

We are actively looking for a diverse line-up of session speakers and moderators. Please reach out to mritogether@esmrmb.org if you are interested in contributing or would like to suggest a potential speaker we should approach.

Here are some of our tentative sessions:

Software development

Collaborative coding towards more impactful solutions

In this session, we aim to have a hands-on guide to working collaboratively on projects using Git and how to do code review in practice. Finally, we want to introduce concepts common in software development, such as the minimum viable product, that may help interested researchers improve their productivity.

The funding landscape for open source projects

How can I find funds to support my open-source project? To answer this and other related questions, in this session, we discuss the funding landscape for scientific software development, which is crucial for software maintenance, and invite developers to share their experience with commercial software production.

At second sight - open science projects that succeeded at their own pace

Despite us giving all our heart, the MR community might not meet our beautifully crafted open science contribution with love at first sight. In this session, we want to hear from developers how they persevered, for example after a slow initial uptake of their contribution, and how they built a user community around it that enabled long-term success and continued development and support.

Education and training

Bridging the educational gap: How to effectively share knowledge to build an MR scanner

This session is about how we can share knowledge about MRI scanners openly, including how to build an MRI scanner. It will feature the CAMERA group, which is involved in personnel training and education to make MRI scanners more accessible in Africa. In this session, we also want to take a look at how a network of open science collaborators and specialists can be successfully created and would like to share a spotlight on the open science community in China.

New Kids on the Block - open science in emerging MR applications (embodying open MRI)

Much of the work toward open and reproducible science has been spearheaded by researchers working in the brain space. Newer MRI applications, such as body and hyperpolarized MRI are less well represented in the open MRI community. In this session, we will discuss how lessons learned from open and reproducible brain MRI can be adopted in other areas.

Reproducibility crisis revisited: towards replicable and generalizable research

In the realm of MRI, particularly in neuroimaging, the reproducibility crisis has emerged as a pivotal challenge, casting significant doubts on the reliability of many scientific findings. This session aims to delve deep into the critical issues surrounding replication failures in brain imaging studies and explore strategic pathways towards enhancing the robustness and validity of research outcomes.

Data and Code sharing

Are FAIR principles fair enough? - Standards for sharing data and code

These days, it’s common practice to conduct research using code sharing, repeatability, and data sharing via repositories. These approaches could provide some difficulties, though. Patient data sharing repositories may differ due to variations in country ethical legislation. Furthermore, some research labs don’t have a code repository culture. In this session we will review some different data sharing repositories projects, legal aspects and the importance of a culture of code sharing.

Giving up consciously - when to not pursue an open science solution (any more)

Does every MR project have to be open? Is every piece of code or hardware a user-friendly tool? Here, we want to hear from people who consciously decided not to go the open path, i.e., commercialized a contribution via trade secrets, proprietary licensing and patenting, or maybe just gave up by abandoning an open-source project after some time.

Culture

Transferable open MRI skills: from academia to industry

This session will feature distinguished speakers who have successfully transitioned between academia and industry. They will share their insights on career decisions and highlight how their expertise in MRI research has been pivotal in their professional journeys.

Sustainable Volunteering: How to stay happy, healthy, and productive in Open Science

We often commit our time to Open MRI projects with an altruistic streak: the work is voluntary and based on our self-motivation. However, people in open science projects have a day job with other and higher priorities, and because the incentive structure in their career domain doesn’t align with sustainability and collaboration, progress in open science projects is often slow. Here, we want to learn from open science experts as well as other fields of volunteering how to navigate these sometimes conflicting demands and stay happy, healthy and productive in the process.

Live demos and interactive sessions

Cutting-edge MRI toolbox exhibition

In this session, attendees will have the opportunity to showcase their innovative MRI data processing tools in a dynamic and interactive environment. Whether you’ve developed a novel algorithm, software package, or workflow, this session is your platform to demonstrate its capabilities and impact!

Participants can register to secure their spot for a 15-minute demonstration slot, during which they can present their toolbox to fellow researchers, developers, and industry professionals. Each presenter will have the opportunity to highlight the unique features, usability, and potential applications of their toolbox, and collaborations within the MRI research community.

From image reconstruction and segmentation to advanced data analysis and visualization, we invite you to share your groundbreaking solutions and contribute to advancing the field of MRI data processing. Don’t miss this opportunity to interact with your colleagues, receive feedback, and showcase your innovation in this session.