Recent events in the USA have driven home the vulnerability of Open Science to geopolitical pressures. The rapid changes in funding and ideological priorities have led to the removal of many datasets and project funding. Moreover, the July announcement of the US withdrawal from UNESCO raises many questions about the commitment to the UNESCO Recommendation on Open Science. 

It has suddenly become apparent that the goodwill surrounding the Open Science movement is vulnerable, and that global geographies and politics have significant implications for the long-term sustainability of open data, software, infrastructure, and knowledge creation. Perhaps as striking as the events in the USA is the realisation that, albeit at different scales, similar things have happened before. The destruction of libraries in Sudan and Gaza, the rapid defunding of academic systems across the world (for example, in Argentina), and other developments show that Open Science is vulnerable to geopolitics. 

It is therefore important that we start discussions now on how we can learn from past events to build resilient open systems for the future – in data storage, research infrastructures, networks of concerned researchers, legal agreements and developing agile responses to crisis events. In times of crisis, responses are necessarily driven by urgency. When the crisis has passed and urgency fades, these strategies and lessons learned are often poorly documented, leading to the loss of expertise and knowledge. This must change.

On the 6^th of November 2025 a workshop funded by Open Science Netherlands was held in Leiden to discuss the tensions between geopolitics and Open Science. The goal of this workshop was to start discussions on how best, on an ongoing basis, to track geopolitical threats to data, infrastructures and academic freedom and to identify strategies of resilience for the future. The workshop resulted in a position statement to the UNESCO Netherlands National Commission outlining key areas within Open Science requiring further scrutiny and support. 

In preparation for the workshop, participants prepared their own position statements outlining personal perspectives on the geopolitical risks and tensions for the future of Open Science. This MetaROR special collection compiles these multidisciplinary statements, as well as additional statements from individuals unable to attend the workshop in person. The goal of this collection is to provide multifaceted viewpoints that will advance discussions on the resilience of Open Science in times of geopolitical crisis.

Eligibility:

We welcome submissions from workshop participants and other scholars working in this area. Contributions will be selected according to their relevance to the workshop themes.

Types of submissions:

We welcome a wide range of formats for submissions; however, we encourage shorter, blog-style pieces that provoke discussion and raise current issues and concerns. 

Peer review:

Reviewers will primarily be sourced from workshop participants and contributing authors.

Collection editors:

Dr Louise Bezuidenhout and Dr Kathleen Gregory, CWTS Center for Science and Technology Studies, Leiden University, Netherlands.