Open Science Communities reaching out from the Netherlands
Open Science Community Netherlands (OSC-NL) is a thriving bottom up, community-led, social infrastructure of local hubs in all university cities in the Netherlands, bringing together over 2,000 members of the academic community. Started by local researchers in Utrecht, it is now a place where researchers and scholars, educators, support staff, students, and citizens are welcome to learn from each other how to put open science into practice.
Over the years, local OSCs have organized events and activities to make open science practices more visible and accessible at their institutions, ranging from workshops, symposia, blogs, awards and newsletters to social media campaigns.
Moreover, OSC-NL provides input to policy and services on behalf of their community members on the local and national level, shaping the transition to open science according to the wishes and needs as experienced by the academic community. By the same token, OSC-NL is the Dutch national chapter of the International Network of Open Science Communities (INOSC).
The model has been taken up in other countries, including Saudi Arabia and Iraq. Those who wish to start their own Open Science Community can follow the steps described in the OSC Starter Kit or join the online OSC Incubator Program, a free 16 week online programme offered twice per year for up to 10 participants from around the globe. The programme is free of charge, thanks to support from the EU funded projects AURORA RI and Skills4EOSC.