Open science is a movement that aims to make scientific research and its dissemination accessible to everyone. It’s based on the idea that scientific knowledge should be transparent, inclusive, and sustainable.
This project investigated the tensions between open science policies and commercialization practices in collaborative research, focusing on how these conflicts influenced researcher behavior and decision-making. Through case studies derived from joint patent applications and research consortia in Kenya and Rwanda, the project examined the challenges researchers faced when balancing open access to knowledge with the need to commercialize research outputs. It explored whether these policy positions could be harmonized and how institutional contexts, governance, and power dynamics impacted research collaborations.
The study addressed key questions about the compatibility of open science and commercialization policies, identifying conditions under which they could work together. It provided insights into the experiences of researchers, their behavioral responses to conflicting policies, and the strategies needed to navigate these tensions. Data collection included document reviews, interviews, focus groups, and workshops, with analysis using qualitative methods and some quantitative data.
The outcomes included policy briefs, academic publications, and workshops that engaged stakeholders in shaping future research policies. In the long term, the project aimed to influence government research policy, guide universities and research institutes on governance frameworks, and promote collaborative research while fostering commercialization. Ultimately, the study sought to clarify intellectual property issues, enhancing private sector involvement in public research partnerships.
Overall, OCSDNet aims to foster open science as a tool for development and research.
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