AfLIA partners with Figshare to promote open data awareness and participation in Africa

FEBRUARY 16, 2023

A new partnership has been formed between AfLIA and Figshare, part of Digital Science, to promote open data awareness and participation in Africa.

The partnership is the latest initiative, among several others by the two organizations, to improve access to and use of open data across the continent.

Speaking on the partnership, Dr. Helena Asamoah-Hassan,Executive Director of AfLIA, said: “We are excited to enter into this strategic partnership with Figshare, to work on collaborative activities that support awareness of open science and data repositories, and to support the research and education communities in Africa.

“Open data has the potential to drive innovation, economic growth, and social development by enabling individuals and organizations to make more informed decisions. However, in many African countries, access to open data is limited, and there is a lack of awareness and understanding of its potential benefits.

“Through our open data initiatives, we aim to support African higher education and research institutions, ultimately contributing to a stronger open science ecosystem in Africa for the benefit of our communities, and the world.”

On his part, the CEO of Digital Science, Daniel Hook, said: “At Digital Science, we believe that research needs to be open, collaborative and inclusive so that the benefits are accrued rapidly, maximally and fairly. It is humbling to see the leadership shown by the willingness of so many researchers and institutions in Africa to embrace open and FAIR data principles, and I am proud that Figshare is able to support AfLIA through this new partnership. By providing key infrastructures such as those in this project we hope to increase Africa’s voice in the global research ecosystem and foster not only openness and collaboration but also diversity.”

Following the partnership, Figshare and AfLIA are building an open access repository portal to host and disseminate AfLIA’s conference proceedings (papers, presentations, posters, videos, etc.) from 2023 onwards. The AfLIA Conference Repository will provide authors, researchers and presenters at AfLIA’s conferences with improved archiving, and increase access to all resources and outputs. The repository will also include other features such as altmetrics and citation data. Authors will get credit for all their outputs.

The initiative will ensure increased awareness of Open Science and Open Data principles and practices contextualised to Africa – including effective data management in data repositories, intellectual property rights and open data, the FAIR Principles, data sovereignty, etc. – and contribute to develop and leverage the professional skills and understanding of stakeholders in African higher education and research institutions, ultimately contributing to a stronger open science ecosystem in Africa for the benefit of its communities, and the world.

About Figshare

Figshare is an open access turnkey Software-as-a-Service repository solution that supports open science. Its infrastructure and global community provide institutions with a platform to share and preserve their outputs – including large datasets – in a findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable (FAIR) way. Figshare is committed to enabling open science through various initiatives, including; member of the UNESCO Global Open Science Partnership – providing thought leadership, technical advice and guidance to support countries around the world to implement the UNESCO Open Science Recommendation, and; strategic partner to key African associations which support higher education and research – facilitating effective research data management, enabling improved visibility of African research outputs, and increasing library literacy among African professionals to further the understanding of Open Science and the FAIR Principles. Visit figshare.com and follow @figshare on Twitter.

About Digital Science

Digital Science is a technology company working to make research more efficient. We invest in, nurture and support innovative businesses and technologies that make all parts of the research process more open and effective. Our portfolio includes admired brands including Altmetric, Dimensions, Figshare, ReadCube, Symplectic, IFI CLAIMS Patent Services, Overleaf, Ripeta, Writefull, and metaphacts. We believe that together, we can help researchers make a difference. Visit www.digital-science.com and follow @digitalsci on Twitter or on LinkedIn.