Authors: Kari L. Jordan, Erin Becker, Daniela Saderi, Vanessa Fairhurst, Patricia Herterich, Noam Ross, Yanina Bellini Saibene, Leah Wasser, Yo Yehudi
Open science has transformed how research is conducted, shared, and reused. Yet the organisations at the heart of this transformation are often left vulnerable, underfunded, and disconnected from one another. To move from simply surviving to truly thriving, five leading open science organisations -- The Carpentries, OLS, rOpenSci, pyOpenSci, and PREreview) -- are convening to chart a collective path forward. We are so grateful to The Navigation Fund for supporting this work, and invite our communities to review the full proposal online.
Why This Convening Matters
Our work has reshaped scientific culture by modeling inclusive, participatory, and transparent practices. But despite the global reach and impact of our communities, we face shared challenges:
- Chronic underfunding that undermines our ability to plan and grow.
- Fragmentation across networks, which weakens collective visibility and coordination.
- Unsustainable engagement models that over-rely on volunteers without adequate support systems.
Like a single thread, each of our organisations is fragile alone; together, we can weave a stronger, more resilient open science fabric.
Current Gaps
Open science is built on collaboration and transparency, but too often the organisations building this infrastructure operate in silos. The result is uneven visibility, duplicated efforts, and missed opportunities to align strategies. Community-driven organisations like ours face distinct challenges compared with technical infrastructure projects: recruiting contributors is not enough if the structures and motivation to sustain their engagement are missing.
This fragmentation is not just an internal problem; it’s a loss for the broader research ecosystem that depends on our work.
Our Approach
We are planning a strategic, in-person convening of leadership from our five organisations. This gathering will focus on:
- Shared financial sustainability: Developing collective, value-aligned models for funding and resource generation.
- Collaborative engagement strategies: Designing systems that strengthen and connect our communities across roles, regions, and lived experiences.
- Equity-centered design: Ensuring accessibility, usability, and meaningful participation for all involved.
Facilitated by Wildly Open, we are excited to explore and better understand what is (and isn’t) working, and then build durable models for collaboration and sustainability.
What We Aim to Deliver
- A coordinated sustainability strategy that reflects the shared values of our organisations.
- A funder-facing pitch to mobilise resources in support of this strategy.
- Stronger ties among our organisations that extend beyond the convening, creating lasting impact.
The Bigger Picture
This convening is not an isolated event. It’s the first step in scaling a movement that reimagines how values-driven open science organisations can grow together, share resources, and strengthen the ecosystem we collectively serve. By working together, we can ensure that the future of open science is not only innovative, but also equitable, sustainable, and resilient.
Connect with us!
There are lots of ways to get involved if you are interested!
- If you read through our lessons and want to suggest changes, open an issue in our lessons repository here.
- Volunteer to be a reviewer for pyOpenSci’s software review process.
- Submit a scientific Python package to pyOpenSci for peer review.
- Donate to pyOpenSci to support scholarships for future training events and the development of new learning content.
- Check out our volunteer page for other ways to get involved.
You can also:
- Keep an eye on our events page for upcoming training events.
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