We believe that open science is vital for the sociocultural and economic development of the Arab world, and we therefore want to place accessibility at the heart of the region’s scientific and research ecosystems. The advancement of open science policies and practises requires the development of strong, collaborative communities and the sharing of skills and ideas, and that is why.
Reflecting the overarching message of last year’s Annual Forum concerning the need to collaborate as individuals, as institutions, as communities and countries – within our local environment and as a region – this year’s theme focuses on building our open science communities and developing our open science capacities.
Given the UAE has designated 2025 as the Year of Community, we are therefore particularly delighted to be able to announce that this year’s Annual Forum, will take place in the UAE, in partnership with the American University of Sharjah. We are honoured to be partnering with this institution, a regional leader for research and education in the Arab world. We are also excited to be able to host the Annual Forum in the Emirate of Sharjah, which is home to so many of the region’s leading publishers and collaborative research and innovation centers.
We therefore invite proposals (in English or Arabic) for 20 minute presentations, and 1 hour roundtable sessions linked with any aspect of the pillars listed below. Particular preference will be given to regional case studies relating to the challenged and solutions within our thematic areas, offering new and innovative examples of transforming Open Science knowledge into policies and practises in the Arab region.
One of FORM’s central missions is to help open science advocates from across the arab states form connections, establish communities, and build successful collaborations with each other and with communities and organisations elsewhere in the world. We invite proposals concerning the development of collaborative communities and engagement in bilateral and multilateral scientific diplomacy.
Although open access is just one facet of the broader open research landscape, it remains one of the most well known and the most contentious. The development of appropriate policies and practises, the allocation of funding and resources, the incentivisation towards perverse research behaviours, and concerns about the issues of inclusivity and commercialisation – all continue to dominate regional and global discussions. We invite proposals relating to policies, funding, research protocols and assessment, and bibliodiversity and inclusivity.
One of the key priorities raised by our stakeholders is the importance of localising discussions, activities, outputs, tools and solutions relating to open science, in order to facilitate effective capacity building. We invite proposals concerning the development of skills and resources for the region’s research communities, and strategies to effectively share knowledge.
One issue that is repeatedly raised by our stakeholders is the question of funding. Inclusive and equitable access to everything, everywhere, for everyone is a brilliant concept – but how is this vision to be funded? We invite proposals relating to open science funding and investment, open and interoperable infrastructures, and community-owned and community-led Open Science infrastructures and publications.
This year, the Annual Forum will offer a mixture of individual presentations, moderated round table discussions, and workshops. As accessibility lies at the hearts of everything we do, this will be a fully hybrid event, with all in-person activities live streamed, in English and Arabic. The programme will include a full day of online presentations, two days of in-person presentations, and a half day of high-impact workshops.
Proposals will be submitted via an online form. When submitting, you will be asked to provide the following information:
Please note: all presenters will be required to cover any travel and accommodation costs, together with the conference fee. There is a special discounted rate for presenters attending the event in person of $130, and presenters who are not attending in person do not have to pay a fee.
The submission deadline is the 1st of June. The proposals will be reviewed by the Advisory Board, and acceptance notifications sent out in early July.
If you have any questions, please contact our Team via email (contact@theforumforopenresearch.com)
© 2025 Knowledge E Foundation, unless otherwise stated.
