28 May 2024
The Open Science Communities-NL (OSC-NL) network will receive a grant of 400,000 euros. This was decided by the Open Science NL steering committee on 17 May.
OSC-NL, the umbrella organisation of currently twelve local Open Science Communities, will use this to work on knowledge exchange, community management and sustainability of this bottom-up network. Professionalisation and expansion are also on the programme.
OSC-NL’s grant application outlines their plans for the next four years. The application is openly available, see the link below this article. The plans are divided into four work packages, each led by one of the members of the Executive Team.
- Networking
- Knowledge management
- Increase visibility and findability of local Open Science Communities and open science expertise
- Organisational embedding and perpetuation of OSC-NL after the project period (sustainability)
The OSC-NL Executive Team
Loek Brinkman (DANS), is a project manager and former researcher. He co-founded the first OSC, set up the international OSC Incubator Programme and is vice-chair of the International Network of Open Science Communities.
Rianne Fijten (Maastricht University) is senior researcher and (co)founder of OSC Maastricht (OSCM). She represents OSCM within INOSC and serves as a board member of OSC-NL until she joins the Executive Team.
Tanya van Goch (SURF) is community manager for the Enabling Open Science Innovation Zone at SURF and one of the two chairs of the international Knowledge Exchange Open Access Expert Group.
Melanie Imming (Imming Impact) is a strategic open science consultant with experience in governance models and in concept development of engagement-related projects and events, such as the National Open Science Festival.
Anna van ‘t Veer (Leiden University) is an assistant professor and community manager of OSC Leiden (OSCL). She is the chair of the board of OSC-NL, and applied for this grant on behalf of the board as she will form a linking pin between the board and the Executive Team.
As an umbrella organisation, OSC-NL unites more than two thousand people working on open science within Dutch knowledge institutions. So far, the work of OSC-NL is mainly done on a voluntary basis. However, more is needed: national collaboration is essential to consolidate local efforts, ensure long-term sustainability and enable local embedding of OSCs. To take this forward officially, OSC-NL is now receiving a one-off impulse grant of €400,000 for the next four years. SURF will facilitate the Open Science communities as a partner in open science, to realise the ambitions in the exchange of knowledge, community management and embedding the Open Science Communities in a sustainable way.
At the end of 2023, Open Science NL already awarded the twelve Open Science Communities in the Netherlands a grant of 100,000 euro each. With this, they will expand their activities over the next three years and also strengthen their position within their own institutions. The new grant awarded to OSC-NL enables coordination and support for these local initiatives on a national level.