OpenCon seeks to bring together effective, engaged students and early career academic professionals from around the world to advance Open Access, Open Education, and Open Data—regardless of their ability to pay for travel costs. In OpenCon’s first four years, most invited attendees who required financial support to attend have received scholarships. For this reason, attendance at OpenCon is by application only. The application process is central to allocating the limited spaces for attendees and scholarship funding equitably. Applications are reviewed by alumni from previous years, and our international organizing committee makes final decisions on acceptances and scholarships.
The benefits of applying for OpenCon 2018 extend far beyond attending the meeting in Toronto this November. It’s an opportunity to find new collaborators, get connected with scholarships to attend related conferences, and actively participate in a larger community of Open advocates year-round.
Students and early career academic professionals of all experience levels are encouraged to apply. We want to support those who have ideas for new projects and initiatives in addition to those who are already leading them. The most important criteria is an interest in advancing Open Access, Open Education, and Open Data and a commitment to taking action.
OpenCon’s flagship global meeting helps drive culture change toward open by bringing together the most energetic, engaged students and early career academic professionals. Participants learn about Open Access, Open Education, and Open Data, develop critical skills, find collaborators, and catalyze action toward a more open system for sharing the world’s information—from scholarly and scientific research, to educational materials, to digital research data. OpenCon 2018’s three-day program will begin with two days of panels and interactive workshops that place an emphasis on highlighting diverse, early career voices from every continent. The third day will feature an all-day “Do-A-Thon,” where participants have the opportunity to craft new campaigns, lay the foundations for new resources, and form collaborations that will continue long after the November conference is over.
While attendance at the main conference in Toronto is by application only, everyone is invited to participate freely in the interactive webcast, OpenCon 2018 Live, and work to advance Open through OpenCon’s unique Do-A-Thon. OpenCon is also looking for partners to host satellite events—meetings that combine themes from the global conference with local presentations, workshops, and discussions to advance the conversation around Open in your local community. In 2017, there were 34 OpenCon satellite events in twenty countries—all thanks to their incredible hosts, who included students, scientists, librarians, researchers, and advocates from around the world who are working hard to increase action around Open Access, Open Data, and Open Education.
The application period for OpenCon 2018 on November 2-4 in Toronto is now open! The application is available at https://www.opencon2018.org/apply and includes the opportunity to apply for a travel scholarship. Applications will close on July 13th at 11:59pm U.S. Pacific Time.