In an age when an easy access to knowledge and science is more critical than ever, it is crucial to share research data in the most fair and cost-effective way possible for both researchers and society, with a perspective of progress and collaboration. But first it is necessary to know what it means to open up research data, and to try to solve the difficulties that may be encountered on the way to a research that should be “as open as possible, as closed as necessary”. This and other topics were discussed in the workshop called The benefits of Open Research Data, organized by Bocconi University Library in the context of International Open Access Week 2024. During this workshop, Kiera McNeice gave an overview of ORD and why it is important to open up research data. Valentina Pasquale then discussed about enabling data sharing and reuse through institutional data stewardship services and, finally, Alessia Bardi explained the concept of FAIRness of data and their discoverability. The workshop followed a round table dedicated to the benefits and the difficulties for researchers to open up their data: the discussion was attended by Professor Andrea Ordanini and Gina Pavone and moderated by Professor Amelia Compagni.