Boosting community engagement - The Open Science Community Incubator Program

The transition to Open Science is in essence a culture change movement, which is why community engagement is critical for the transition to take shape. In particular, local grass-roots Open Science Communities (OSCs), such as those united in the ‘International Network of Open Science Communities’ (INOSC), have demonstrated to be drivers of change.

In an OSC, researchers get together to share knowledge and best-practices, thereby increasing the awareness and facilitating the adoption of OS practice. By the same token, OSCs interact with local and (inter)national stakeholders to provide input to policies, services and infrastructure related to OS, shaping the transition to OS in accordance with researchers’ needs and perspectives.

In recent year, there has been a rapid increase in the number of and size of OSCs, with over 20 communities active in 12 countries, where well over 2500 researchers get together to put OS to practice.

However, setting-up and managing an OSC a challenge and requires specific skills and efforts. It is therefore that the European project ‘Skills4EOSC’ is collaborating with INOSC to provide a 12-week online onboarding program for new OSCs: the OSC Incubator Program. Over the course of six modules, participants work towards launching a ‘Minimum Viable OSC’ and prepare to foster and maintain their community with an ‘OSC Master Plan’, which consists of plans for community identity, community engagement, communication, stakeholder engagement, monitoring and sustainability. The program targets researchers and research supporters – both are well suited to start a local OSC.

In this lightning talk, we introduce the OSC Incubator Program and invite colleagues around the globe to partake in the program and set-up their own OSC. The OSC Incubator program is free of charge and is offered twice per year and there is room for up-to 10 participants per cohort. For more info and registration, please visit www.osc-international.com.