Abstract:Open research data is considered to be the most significant feature of scientific research activities in the next decade. On the basis of existing ecological observations and the “opening of large scientific data” generated by large scientific research equipment, the European Union and the United States are also actively promoting the opening of “small science” research data generated by individual researchers in the process of scientific research. The opening of small scientific research data is expected to connect the fragmented scientific research individuals into a scientific research innovation network, thereby triggering new reforms in the scientific research organization model and innovation paradigm. This research firstly sorts out the practices of European and American countries in open research data from three aspects: the promotion of funding institutions, the construction of data journals, and the practice of open platforms for scientific research data. Then, three enlightenments for open research data in China are proposed.