Uganda Hosts Landmark Open Science Stakeholders’ Meeting

The Uganda National Council for Science and Technology (UNCST), Training Centre in Communication (TCC Africa), Makerere University, and the Public Library of Science (PLOS) co-convened the Uganda Open Science Stakeholders’ Meeting on 24th September 2025 at the College of Computing and Information Sciences, Makerere University.

A glimpse of some of the Online attendees

The partnership between the Training Centre in Communication (TCC Africa), the Uganda National Council for Science and Technology (UNCST), and the Public Library of Science (PLOS) began in 2023 with the shared goal of advancing Open Science in Uganda through advocacy, policy engagement, and capacity building. As part of this collaboration, the partners co-developed the Uganda Open Science Stakeholder Mapping Survey, which was rolled out in July 2025 to assess the national Open Science landscape, identify key actors, and uncover existing gaps and opportunities for coordinated action.

Insights from the survey informed the Uganda Open Science Stakeholders’ Meeting, held on 24th September 2025. The blended meeting brought together a diverse group of representatives across Uganda’s Open Science landscape — from government, academia, libraries,and international partners — all united by a shared vision: to strengthen the foundations of Open Science in Uganda.
The meeting marked a critical step in advancing national efforts to build an enabling environment for Open Science. Key objectives included:

• Presenting the findings of the Uganda Open Science Stakeholder Analysis.
• Facilitating dialogue among stakeholders to align priorities and identify synergies.
• Exploring pathways towards a National Open Science Roadmap or Policy.
• Promoting knowledge exchange and collaboration across institutions and sectors.

Speakers included leaders and representatives from Makerere University, Uganda National Council for Science and Technology (UNCST), East Africa Science and Technology Commission(EASTECO), the Ministry of Education (Kenya), Uganda Library and Information Association (ULIA), African Institute For Capacity Development (AICAD), PLOS, Research and Education Network for Uganda (RENU), Consortium of Uganda University Libraries (CUUL).
“So when we started the conversation, we realized that open science cuts across the ecosystem, whether you’re talking about private sector, ministries, departments and agencies. Open science is open, It is actually in every percent of our life.”  Dr. Martin Ongol, Acting Executive Secretary of the Uganda National Council for Science and Technology (UNCST)

“These are the foundational conversations we need to have on adopting open science, such that by the time you have the policies, you have all these systems set in place that can aid in the implementation.” Joy Owango, Executive Director of the Training Centre in Communication (TCC Africa)
“I think that we need to have more and these collaborators need to work with libraries specifically on how to integrate libraries into the National Open Science roadmap, specifically on the policy.” Dr. Fredrick Lugya, University Librarian at Busitema University and President of the Uganda Library and Information Association (ULIA)

“PLOS supports the leadership shown by the Ugandan authorities and their growing efforts to engage all stakeholders in shaping open science solutions that support researchers and promote a more transparent, inclusive, and equitable scientific process’’ remarked Roheena Anand, Executive Director of Global Publishing Development at PLOS. 

The Uganda Open Science Stakeholders’ Meeting concluded with a call to action: stronger collaboration, investment in infrastructure, capacity building, and national coordination are essential to advancing Uganda’s Open Science movement. The outcomes of this meeting will guide the Ministry of Education and Sports in integrating Open Science principles into national policies and acts, ensuring that Uganda’s researchers and institutions are well-positioned to make meaningful contributions to the global Open Science agenda.

Access the meeting recording here: https://tccafrica.pubpub.org/pub/5qsggryo/release/1