The Association for African Universities (AAU), the Public Library of Science (PLOS), and the Training Centre in Communication (TCC Africa) have shared the results of the first two of four regional policy workshops that they are hosting with Presidents, Vice Chancellors, Rectors, Deputy Vice Chancellors, Directors of Research and Libraries in African Higher Education Institutions.
The workshops aimed to increase education and awareness on the benefits of Open Science, to support the development and implementation of Open Science policies, and adoption of Open Science and Open Access practices and publishing in African Higher Education Institutions Workshop programmes included both global and local perspectives on Open Science and its adoption and implementation in institutions, including support and speakers from UNESCO, DORA, University of Leiden, NRF, and the African Open Science Platform.
After the workshops, surveys were conducted with attendees to understand progress towards workshop outcomes and potential next steps in the implementation of Open Science policies in universities.
The workshops were successful in gathering the range of stakeholders necessary to implement change at an institutional level. They show that there is a growing understanding of Open Science among university leaders, with many keen to take proactive steps to support its adoption within their institutes. There is always more to do, and the results highlight the need for continued efforts to build capacity in this area.
The interactive cumulative results can be viewed here
Click here to read the original press release.
