Open Access in the Global South: Perspectives from the Open and Collaborative Science in Development Network

As with science in general, the discussion around open access has generally been driven by the institutions and perspectives of western or global North countries. However, approaches to open access are far more diverse and there are alternative approaches that have not gained visibility, especially in historically marginalized communities. This presentation will present some key lessons of the OCSDNet http://ocsdnet.org. The OCSDNet is a research network that engaged in participatory research and consultation with scientists, development practitioners, community members and activists from 26 countries in Latin America, Africa, the Middle East and Asia to understand the values at the core of open science in development. What we learned is that there is not one right way to do open science, and “openness” requires constant negotiation and reflection, and the process will always differ by context due to historical and socio-political factors. The set of seven values and principles at the core of the OCSDNet manifesto will be discussed for a more inclusive open science in development. More important, we will discuss the implications of these values in relation to the aspirations and features of COAR’s Next Generation Repository.