2025 Annual Forum
Bringing together leading international experts and key regional stakeholders, the Annual Forum for Open Research in MENA supports the Arab world’s transition towards more accessible, sustainable and inclusive research and education models.
The 2025 Annual Forum centred on the practical work of developing Open Science across the Arab region. The programme included presentations, case studies, and workshop sessions designed to support institutions and research communities in building the skills, structures, and shared understandings required for more accessible and collaborative scholarly work.
The Forum was hosted by the American University in Sharjah, under the patronage of the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO), with the continued support and funding from the Knowledge E Foundation.
The conference theme, Becoming Open: Building Capacities and Communities in the Arab World, guided discussions on how research cultures and professional networks in the region can continue to evolve in ways that are sustainable, inclusive, and grounded in local priorities.
2025 Annual Forum Presentations
Coming soon »
Join Our 2024 Annual Forum
This year’s conference theme is: Transforming Knowledge Into Action. We are honoured to have the Qatar National Library as our Host Partner for this event, and to have the continued support and funding from the Knowledge E Foundation.
We invite librarians, researchers, policy makers, higher-education institutions, publishers, and solutions-providers to submit presentation proposals relating to the development and implementation of open science policies and practises, and the building of open science communities, in higher education institutions and libraries. We are looking for 20 minute presentations in both English and Arabic. The first day of the programme will be for online presenters who are unable to attend the conference in person.
