DSTI releases National Open Science Policy
The Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) welcomes the release of the National Open Science Policy by the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI). This milestone signals South Africa’s commitment to strengthening equitable, transparent and globally connected research systems.
The policy can be accessed here.
ASSAf alignment with the DSTI Open Science policy
The work of ASSAf aligns closely with the objectives of South Africa’s National Open Science Policy through its long-standing investment in open scholarly infrastructure, quality assurance and research transparency. Through initiatives such as SciELO SA, support for Diamond Open Access journals, national peer review coordination and policy advisory functions, ASSAf has actively strengthened equitable access to publicly funded research outputs and enhanced the visibility of South African scholarship. Its work in improving editorial standards, metadata quality, indexing readiness and ethical publishing practices contributes directly to the policy’s goals of interoperability, sustainability and responsible research governance. Moreover, ASSAf’s role in capacity building for editors, reviewers and institutions supports the development of a more inclusive and globally connected research ecosystem. In this way, ASSAf does not merely endorse the National Open Science Policy but operationalises its principles through concrete infrastructure, standards development and system-wide coordination within the national research landscape. Access the ASSAf Open Science policy here.