The Uganda National Council for Science and Technology (UNCST) has adopted a national open science policy following a broad consultative process involving researchers, policymakers, academic leaders, and civil society stakeholders. The policy has been developed with support from EIFL and aligns with Uganda’s upcoming Strategic Plan for 2025–2030.
The adoption of the policy is positioned as a key milestone in promoting inclusive and collaborative research practices across the country. By integrating open science principles into national science and innovation systems, UNCST aims to enhance the transparency, discoverability, and reuse of publicly funded research outputs.
Core interventions outlined in the policy include the establishment of digital infrastructure to enable open access to scientific data, support for open-source platforms, and the development of policies covering data sharing, peer review, and open licensing. In addition, institutional incentives will be introduced to recognize contributions to open science through funding, awards, and digital innovation.
UNCST also plans to implement national training programs to build capacity in research data management, open access publishing, and responsible research assessment. The policy incorporates global standards such as the FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) and CARE (Collective benefit, Authority to control, Responsibility, Ethics) principles for data stewardship.
By formalizing its commitment to open science, UNCST seeks to embed openness and collaboration into Uganda’s national development agenda, to enable equitable participation in the global research community.
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