Principles and practices of open science at universities are evolving. Increasing use and application of digital technologies and platforms in research and innovation are pushing universities to take up and develop new visions and principles for how research and innovation are performed. These open science policies and practices (i.e. open data sharing, open access publishing, open repositories, open physical labs, participatory design, and transdisciplinary research platforms) are expanding the ethos of science and innovation at universities. These new principles and practices of open science at universities are also triggering novel open innovation practices by university research teams. Open science and innovation practices hold great potential for accelerating the learning and creation of new knowledge, speeding up the research and innovation process for finding solutions for grand societal challenges, and nurturing the growth of highly innovative and entrepreneurial people. The purpose of this study was to identify emergent principles, practices, and underlying mechanisms of open science and innovation developed and encountered by research teams at universities. The results of this study provide directions for how to advance openness in science at universities and illustrate how openness in innovation is being remodelled by open science practices. Based on our findings, we propose an open exploration policy and a governance model of open science and innovation at universities in the digital world, which aspire to create increased societal value.