OpenCon — LLMpedia

OpenCon
Name	OpenCon
Formation	2013
Type	Nonprofit / Conference Network
Headquarters	International / Rotating
Focus	Open access, open science, open data, open education
Methods	Conferences, training, advocacy, fellowships

Contents

OpenCon is an international conference and advocacy community focused on promoting open access, open data, open education and related reform movements across academia, libraries, publishing, and policy. Founded by leaders with backgrounds at organizations such as the Wellcome Trust, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Open Knowledge Foundation, the initiative convenes students, early-career researchers, librarians, publishers, funders, and policy-makers to advance practical strategies for broadening access to scholarly outputs. Through annual meetings, regional events, and a global fellows program, the project connects participants with stakeholders from institutions such as the Max Planck Society, National Institutes of Health, European Commission, and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

History

The effort emerged in 2013 from conversations among advocates affiliated with Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition (SPARC), the Right to Research Coalition, and leaders linked to the Public Library of Science (PLOS). Initial gatherings drew participants including representatives from the Academic Publishing Industry Association, the Association of Research Libraries, and national funders such as the Wellcome Trust and the Gates Foundation. Early years featured keynote speakers and panels involving figures from the Max Planck Society, the European Research Council, and the Australian Research Council, alongside community organizers from networks like the Open Knowledge Foundation and the Mozilla Foundation. As the initiative expanded, regional chapters and satellite events appeared across continents, engaging organizations such as the African Academy of Sciences, the Latin American Council of Social Sciences, and the Asian Development Bank.

The stated objectives are to accelerate transitions toward more open scholarly communications by equipping advocates with skills and connections to influence policy in settings including universities like Harvard University, University of Oxford, and University of Cape Town, and funders such as the National Science Foundation and the European Commission. Goals emphasize capacity building through fellowships and trainings modeled on practices from the Open Knowledge Foundation and the Right to Research Coalition, promoting policies similar to mandates adopted by the Wellcome Trust and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The program aims to facilitate collaborations among stakeholders including libraries represented by the Association of Research Libraries, publishers such as Elsevier and Taylor & Francis (in dialogues), and policymaking bodies like the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Annual global meetings parallel other sector events such as the Open Access Week series and the Berlin Open Access Conference in intent, featuring panels, workshops, and networking sessions with participants from institutions like MIT, Stanford University, University of Toronto, and research infrastructures such as Crossref and ORCID. Regional events have been staged in partnership with organizations including the African Academy of Sciences, the Latin American Council of Social Sciences (CLACSO), and national libraries like the Library of Congress and the British Library. Programming often includes training modules influenced by practices from the Public Library of Science and the Creative Commons network, and collaborative sessions involving stakeholders such as the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the International Science Council.

The organizing body operates through a small core team supported by a network of volunteer organizers and a global fellows program, drawing on expertise from institutions such as SPARC, the Open Knowledge Foundation, and university libraries including the Bodleian Libraries and the UCLA Library. Funding sources historically have included grants and sponsorships from philanthropic organizations like the Wellcome Trust, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and occasionally partnerships with research funders such as the National Institutes of Health and the European Research Council. Event logistics and regional expansions have involved collaborations with local institutions—universities and research councils such as University of Cape Town, the Indian Council of Social Science Research, and municipal cultural institutions—with governance practices informed by nonprofit models seen at the Mozilla Foundation and Creative Commons.

Participants and alumni have gone on to influence policy at universities including Harvard University, University of California, and University of Oxford, and to contribute to national open access policies advocated to bodies like the European Commission and the National Institutes of Health. Projects seeded at events have produced campaigns aligning with initiatives from the Right to Research Coalition, repository expansions modeled after systems at the Max Planck Society and Digital Public Library of America, and community resources using licensing frameworks from Creative Commons. Fellows have participated in negotiations and consultations with publishers including Elsevier and Springer Nature and have engaged with funders such as the Wellcome Trust and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to implement open policies. The convening function has fostered networks linking regional organizations such as the African Academy of Sciences, the Latin American Council of Social Sciences, and the Asian Development Bank.

Critiques have arisen regarding funding relationships with major philanthropic actors like the Wellcome Trust and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, raising questions similar to broader debates involving Elsevier and other large publishers about influence and neutrality. Some commentators affiliated with institutions such as the University of California system and advocacy groups like the Right to Research Coalition have questioned the balance between advocacy and collaboration with commercial stakeholders including Taylor & Francis and Springer Nature. Debates have emerged comparing open policy pathways to models advanced by the European Research Council and the National Institutes of Health, and regarding the effectiveness of conference-based advocacy versus direct policy campaigns run by entities such as the Open Knowledge Foundation or the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition.

Category:Open access organizations