Developing Resilient Research Ecosystems When Resources Are Scarce: The Role Of Repositories

The presentation delivered by Professor Pamela Abbott at a LIBSENSE-AAU webinar focuses on developing resilient research ecosystems in resource-scarce contexts, highlighting the role of repositories and open science. It outlines the global inequalities in academic knowledge production, noting that Africa's share of global scientific output remains disproportionately low due to complex systemic and structural challenges, including limited visibility, limited accessibility, and low productivity. Using the Rwandan higher education context as a case study through collaborative "Rich Picture" exercises with librarians and information specialists, the talk examines various deficits—including financial, skill, infrastructure, and power disparities—that hinder local researchers and risk amplifying existing inequities if open science initiatives are poorly supported.

To address these barriers, the presentation introduces the LIBSENSE initiative (Library Support for Embedding NREN Services and e-Infrastructure), a pan-African community-driven program co-founded by WACREN, EIFL, COAR, and the University of Sheffield. LIBSENSE works to build research resilience and foster open science through three strategic pillars: policy work, capacity building, and infrastructure support, including open-access repositories. By leveraging partnerships, regional networks, and institutional frameworks, the project aims to establish alternative, discoverable channels for the dissemination of local research and to empower African-centred scholarly communication.