Developing knowlegde for democracy

Openresearch editorial board Author

For democratic societies, it is essential to conduct and share research under the best possible conditions and with as many people as possible. But this is not self-evident.

This collections focuses on three developments. The first two are open science and open government. Both aim at making knowlegde and informatie widely accessible, but have their own specific challenges. The third development is concern about knowlegde safety and the effects of measures against espionage and unwanted influence of foreign states on openness, collaboration and inclusion in the academic world.

At openresearch.amsterdam, where knowlegde institutions, the municipality and civil organisations share knowledge with each other, the region and city, we know that openness and collaboration is essential but not always easy. It takes a daily effort to maintain the balance between sowing and reaping, sharing and using, publishing and reading, as does taking care of diversity in voices and contributions. Also, to be open is to be courageous. Like this platform, the act of openness asks us to dare to share.