The Global Young Academy (GYA) is an international organization of 200 early-career scientists from 70 countries that aims to be a voice for young scientists worldwide. The GYA promotes open science and has conducted research on access to research software in developing countries. A global survey found that researchers in countries like Ghana, Nigeria, and Bangladesh rely heavily on proprietary software and lack access to free and open-source software alternatives. There is interest in adopting open-source software but also a need for training and support. While open science presents challenges due to risks and slow changes to the research system, some research groups are already embracing open science through open hardware projects and developing standards for full-metadata sharing.

1. 1 Dec 2017, 3rd Oxford OpenCon Satellite Event, Oxford
Moritz Riede (GYA Co-Chair/Univ. of Oxford)
https://www.globalyoungacademy.net
@GlobalYAcademy
The Global Young Academy and
Open Science

2. 1. The Global Young Academy (GYA)
2. Open Science, GYA and AFMD-Group
2017 2

3. Overview of the GYA
32017
●
Established in 2009
●
200 members & 134 alumni
from 70 countries
●
All disciplines
●
Admission ~7y post PhD
●
Selection criteria
●
Research excellence
●
Commitment to service/outreach
●
5y membership
Goal: be the voice of young scientists around the world

4. 1) Nurturing the science leader ecosystem
2) Addressing topics of societal relevance
2017 4
Our Two Key Building Blocks
➔Be a network, creative engine, peer-mentoring resource,
and convenor
➔Lead and advice for change
...
...

5. Open Science = radical change from the ways in which
research is currently conducted and assessed
●
Hugh potential benefts seen!
●
At the same time (too) many pitfalls?
2017 5
Open Science & Activities
➔What to do?

6. 2017 6
Global Access to Research
Software (GARS)
~750 responses of which
● ~210 each from Ghana, Nigeria & Bangladesh
● Rest from ~30 further countries
➔Focus on Ghana, Nigeria & Bangladesh
Partners: GYA, INASP
Image: OpenStreetMap
Global survey
● Time frame 2015-2016
● Goals:
● Quantity and quality of access to software?
● FOSS alternative to proprietary software?
➔Suggestions to overcome gaps
➔Provoke more targeted studies

7. ●
The desired research software is highly feld-specifc and diverse
●
Lack of access to software signifcantly afects research content
and networks
●
Researchers in developing countries overwhelmingly rely on
proprietary software
●
There is a signifcant gap in the uptake and even awareness of
FOSS alternatives between developing and developed countries
●
There is an interest in adopting and developing FOSS
2017 7
GARS: Key Findings
➔ Need for training and support in software usage, in particular FOSS
➔ Series of follow-up questions

8. Moritz Riede 1 December 2017
8
Challenges: Examples from the AFMD
Group in Physics@Oxford
Images: IAPP, own, Heliatek
Physics of devices made from
carbon-based (=”organic”)
semiconductors, in particular
organic solar cells.
?

9. Moritz Riede 1 December 2017
9
The AFMD Group & Open Science?
Sun: purzen/OpenClipArt

10. Moritz Riede 1 December 2017
10
The AFMD Group & Open Science?

11. Moritz Riede 1 December 2017
11
The AFMD Group & Open Science!
LANDS = a modifed RepRap
Ongoing Projects:
● Open hardware source meter
● Open hardware sun simulator
● ...
The Full-Metadata Format...
(if interested, please let us know)

12. Moritz Riede 1 December 2017
12
Open Science Summary
● Open Science radically changing the ways in which research is
normally conducted and assessed
● Ghana, Bangladesh, Nigeria and potentially many other LMIC
relying less on Open Source Software than expected by HIC
● Dire need for training and support in general software usage
identifed in Ghana, Bangladesh and Nigeria
● Embracing Open Science often still very risky (required time,
little reward in evaluation, etc.)
● Research system only changing slowly, but it seems to be
changing
● There are already many opportunities and exciting projects
embracing Open Science, and there will be more!