We are delighted to welcome the Open Science Community Saudi Arabia (OSCSA) as our newest a member.
Our members are institutions and organisations committed to advancing Open Science policies and practises within research communities across the Arab region, empowering researchers, librarians and policymakers to collaborate on activities, projects and resources that promote engagement with, and the generation of, open research – enabling them to better serve the needs of local research communities. We look forward to working with OSCSA and our other members as we work together to build a strong cross-regional collaborative community, develop practical localised resources, and facilitate the exchange of actionable insights and the development of practical policies supporting a more ‘open’ Arab world.
The Founder of OSCSA, Dr Batool Almarzouq, provided the following statement:
“OSCSA, a voluntary-based initiative, was founded to support and align with Vision 2030, affirming the Saudi Kingdom's unwavering commitment to advancing education and innovation in the Arab world. OSCSA is excited to be a founding member of The Forum for Open Research in MENA (FORM), where we collectively endeavor to advance Open Science principles and practices across research communities and throughout the region. As a grassroots community, OSCSA is deeply committed to empowering researchers and educators, advocating for collaboration, promoting open-source initiatives, and upholding the principles of FAIR data sharing within our local context.
Our mission transcends the simple dissemination of research findings; we place utmost importance on the critical aspects of reproducibility, ensuring that scientific discoveries can serve as a foundation for innovation and collaborative building upon each other's work. Furthermore, OSCSA fully acknowledges the significance of contextualization within the realm of Open Science, recognizing that research in the Arab world often encompasses unique cultural, social, and environmental factors that necessitate a nuanced approach to open research practices. Our overarching aim is to facilitate the seamless integration of these local contexts into the broader Open Science framework, ultimately leading to a more comprehensive and globally relevant understanding of research outcomes originating from the Arab region.”
