From Surviving to Thriving: A Convening to Reclaim and Sustain Open Science Communities

Open science has transformed how research is conducted, shared, and reused. Yet the organisations at the heart of this transformation are often left vulnerable, underfunded, and disconnected from one another. To move from simply surviving to truly thriving, five leading open science organisations – The Carpentries, OLS, rOpenSci, pyOpenSci, and PREreview – are convening to chart a collective path forward. We are so grateful to The Navigation Fund for supporting this work, and invite our communities to review the full proposal online.

Why This Convening Matters

Our work has reshaped scientific culture by modeling inclusive, participatory, and transparent practices. But despite the global reach and impact of our communities, we face shared challenges:

• Chronic underfunding that undermines our ability to plan and grow.

• Fragmentation across networks, which weakens collective visibility and coordination.

• Unsustainable engagement models that over-rely on volunteers without adequate support systems.

Like a single thread, each of our organisations is fragile alone; together, we can weave a stronger, more resilient open science fabric.

Current Gaps

Open science is built on collaboration and transparency, but too often the organisations building this infrastructure operate in silos. The result is uneven visibility, duplicated efforts, and missed opportunities to align strategies. Community-driven organisations like ours face distinct challenges compared with technical infrastructure projects: recruiting contributors is not enough if the structures and motivation to sustain their engagement are missing.

This fragmentation is not just an internal problem; it’s a loss for the broader research ecosystem that depends on our work.

Our Approach

We are planning a strategic, in-person convening of leadership from our five organisations. This gathering will focus on:

• Shared financial sustainability: Developing collective, value-aligned models for funding and resource generation.

• Collaborative engagement strategies: Designing systems that strengthen and connect our communities across roles, regions, and lived experiences.

• Equity-centered design: Ensuring accessibility, usability, and meaningful participation for all involved.

Facilitated by Wildly Open, we are excited to explore and better understand what is (and isn’t) working, and then build durable models for collaboration and sustainability.

What We Aim to Deliver

• A coordinated sustainability strategy that reflects the shared values of our organisations.

• A funder-facing pitch to mobilise resources in support of this strategy.

• Stronger ties among our organisations that extend beyond the convening, creating lasting impact.

The Bigger Picture

This convening is not an isolated event. It’s the first step in scaling a movement that reimagines how values-driven open science organisations can grow together, share resources, and strengthen the ecosystem we collectively serve. By working together, we can ensure that the future of open science is not only innovative, but also equitable, sustainable, and resilient.