Presentation slides for a talk on the implications of open science for research managers, discussing how they might support researchers and areas where Africa-based organisations are performing development. It was presented at the West African Research and Innovation Management Association (WARIMA) conference on January 18, 2023, which was held at MRC Gambia at LSHTM Fajara.

1. Supporting
Open Science in research
Gareth Knight
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
West African Research and Innovation Management Association (WARIMA) conference
18 Jan 2023

2. Openness in research
A series of activities intended to:
• make multilingual scientific knowledge openly
available, accessible and reusable for everyone
• increase scientific collaborations and sharing of
information for the benefits of science and society
• open the processes of scientific knowledge creation,
evaluation and communication to societal actors
beyond the traditional scientific community.
UNESCO Recommendation on Open Science
https://en.unesco.org/science-sustainable-future/open-
science/recommendation

3. African Principles for Open Access in Scholarly Communication
1. Academic Research and knowledge from and about Africa
should be freely available to all who wish to access, use or
reuse it while at the same time being protected from
misuse and misappropriation.
2. African scientists and scientists working on African topics
and/or territory will make their research achievements
including underlying datasets available in a digital Open
Access repository or journal and an explicit Open Access
license is applied.
3. African research output should be made available in the
principle common language of the global science
community as well as in one or more local African
languages.
4. It is important to take into consideration in the discussions
indigenous and traditional knowledge in its various forms.
https://info.africarxiv.org/african-oa-principles/

4. Idea
Develop
proposal
Collect
Analyse
Manage &
preserve
Share
Review previous research
Data Management Plan
Ethical compliance
Pre-register research
Locate reusable data,
code & other material
Apply open-source
tools?
Document workflow &
outputs
Use open tools & code
to document workflow
Use open formats &
standard
Long-term storage
Share preprint
Share data, code & other
materials
Open Access publishing
Public Engagement
Open
Research
lifecycle

5. Benefits of openness
• Enable African research to be more visible to population and international
community
• Higher quality research through greater emphasis upon verification &
reproducibility
• Ensures research outputs can be linked to organisations, funding and people
• Demonstrates expertise and increase opportunities for collaboration
• Opportunities for new research and discoveries that build upon existing data,
samples, materials
• Potential cost saving through emphasis upon open tools and resources

6. Barriers to openness
• Lack of policies to set legal and regulatory framework
• Limited technical infrastructure
• Lack of suitable research data bases and journals dedicated to open science.
• Emphasis upon “high impact journals”, which may not be open-access.
• Concerns related to IPR of technological developments and paper ownership/
authorship
• Lack of knowledge and awareness of open science practices
Mwelwa, et al, 2020. Developing Open Science in Africa: Barriers, Solutions and Opportunities.
DOI: http://doi.org/10.5334/dsj-2020-031

7. Developing Open Science support
1. ESTABLISH
AWARENESS
Promote a
common
understanding of
open science
2. POLICY
DEVELOPMENT
Develop an
enabling policy
environment for
open science
3.
INFRASTRUCTURE
SETUP
Encourage use of
open science
infrastructures
and services
4. ESTABLISH
SUPPORT
Invest in training,
education, digital
literacy and
capacity building
5. RECOGNISE &
REWARD
Foster a culture
of open science
and aligning
incentives
6. PROMOTE
INNOVATION
Promote
innovative
approaches at
different stages
of the scientific
process
7. ENCOURAGE
COOPERATION
Promote
international &
multi-
stakeholder
cooperation to
reduce gaps
UNESCO Areas of Action: https://en.unesco.org/science-sustainable-future/open-science/recommendation

8. Open Science landscape in Africa
Infrastructure & support Research sharing Innovation
https://trendinafrica.org/
http://www.africaosh.com/
Bezuidenhout, et al (2020) African Digital Research Repositories: Mapping the Landscape. https://doi.org/10.5281/ZENODO.3732171
Many Africa-based organizations are addressing UNESCO’s areas of action

9. Other Open Science resources
Infrastructure development & resources that may be applicable to an African context

10. How can Research Managers support open practice?
• Open Science cannot be addressed independently – it requires
collaboration between multiple organizations.
• Senior management and researchers should be made aware of open
science expectations at the earliest opportunity, particularly when an
external requirement applies (funding, publication, contractual etc.)
• Ensure open science resource needs are recognized and addressed in
research timetable and budget
• Encourage discussion with collaborators on how to support open science
• Promote relevant training, support and advice, where available
• Raise areas where further support is needed with senior management

11. Useful resources
• UNESCO Recommendation on Open Science https://en.unesco.org/science-sustainable-
future/open-science/recommendation
• Chiware & Skelly (2022). Open Science in Africa: What policymakers should consider.
https://doi.org/10.3389/frma.2022.950139
• Mwangi, et al (2021). Open Science in Kenya: Where Are We?
https://doi.org/10.3389/frma.2021.669675
• Mwelwa, et al (2020). Developing Open Science in Africa: Barriers, Solutions and Opportunities.
https://doi.org/10.5334/dsj-2020-031
• Bezuidenhout, et al (2020) African Digital Research Repositories: Mapping the Landscape.
https://doi.org/10.5281/ZENODO.3732171
• National open science policies in Africa: Existing or in preparation
https://www.unesco.org/sites/default/files/medias/fichiers/2022/05/National_and_Institutional_
OS_Policies.pdf
• OpenAIRE: Toolkit for Policy Makers on Open Science and Open Access (refer to policy in slide 9):
https://www.openaire.eu/toolkit-for-policy-makers-on-open-science-and-open-access

12. Which open science area do you consider to be most challenging?
Which Africa-based organisations may be able to provide support?
1. ESTABLISH
AWARENESS
2. POLICY
DEVELOPMENT
3. SETUP
INFRA-
STRUCTURE
4. ESTABLISH
SUPPORT
5.
RECOGNISE
& REWARD
6. PROMOTE
INNOVATION
7.
ENCOURAGE
COOPERATION