[IRTalk] [African Open Science Platform] NRF South Africa to host the AOSP Project Office

[African Science]

The National Research Foundation <https://www.nrf.ac.za/> (NRF) of South 
Africa will host the African Open Science Platform 
<http://africanopenscience.org.za/> (AOSP) Project Office for the next 3 to 
5 years. Supported by South Africa’s Department of Science and Innovation 
<https://www.dst.gov.za/> (DSI), key institutions in Africa, and the International 
Science Council <https://council.science/> (ISC), the AOSP (*Science for 
the Future, the Future of Science*) makes the case for bold action to 
mobilise the scientific community in Africa in responding to the challenges 
of the digital revolution. The new paradigm of *Open Science* is a powerful 
driver for scientific research and scholarship and its application to 
social, economic and global environmental priorities.

The AOSP Advisory Council, following a competitive process, awarded the NRF 
this significant opportunity to further establish and formalise a 
Continental platform. With a strong emphasis on African unity as a nuanced 
and dedicated focus, the NRF and the DSI recognise the significant 
potential of the AOSP as a means to create an inclusive and integrated 
culture of collaboration on the Continent in the service of democratising 
information and knowledge across social boundaries for the achievement of 
common goals and objectives.

The AOSP was initiated through a pilot phase supported by the DSI, and 
managed by the NRF and the Academy of Science of South Africa 
<https://www.assaf.org.za/> (ASSAf) during 2017-2019, with partners 
including the International Science Council (ISC), and its Committee on Data 
<https://codata.org/> (CODATA). Outputs included the collective development 
of a draft roadmap for Open Science on the Continent, and four open science 
frameworks that informed the first consultative stakeholder meeting, held 
during 2-3 September 2019 in Alexandria, Egypt, to design the 
implementation phase of the AOSP. Coordinated by the Chairperson of the 
AOSP Advisory Council, Dr Khotso Mokhele, the Strategic Plan 
<https://www.nrf.ac.za/sites/default/files/documents/AOSP%20Strategy%20Final%20HR.pdf> for 
the AOSP was launched during South Africa’s Science Forum in December 2018. 
The AOSP aims to build a critical mass of high-calibre open science 
research on the Continent, and will ensure that its projects are aligned 
with existing programmes and opportunities within regional and national 
research systems.

In collaboration with numerous key institutional and national initiatives, 
including Governments, Science Granting Councils, research infrastructure 
platforms, universities, and public and private research institutions, 
workstreams of the formalised platform will include the development of a 
legislatively compliant governance framework; the co-creation of a 
sustainable long-term funding model; and formalisation of the AOSP 
Operating Model.

The CEO of the NRF, Dr Molapo Qhobela, stated that: “*The NRF is delighted 
to contribute to and support this strategic endeavour with a number of 
national and international partners. To excel in the new data dispensation, 
commitment and investment are required for Open Data policies, enabling 
Information and Communications Technology (ICT) infrastructure, and 
commitment to the necessary human capacity development*”.

The AOSP Project Office, based at the NRF in Pretoria, South Africa, with 
selected staff appointments, will be launched during 2020. The interim 
contact person is Dr Sepo Hachigonta, Director Strategic Partnerships (
sepo.hachigonta at nrf.ac.za).

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