Open Science is transforming the way knowledge is created, shared, and applied across the globe. For the African scholarly community—where access barriers, funding constraints, and infrastructural challenges can limit participation in global research—embracing Open Science is both a necessity and an opportunity.

In this webinar, we introduce scienceOS.ai, an AI-powered research platform designed to accelerate discovery, collaboration, and knowledge sharing while upholding the principles of Open Science. Built on a foundation of transparency, accessibility, and GDPR-compliant data protection, scienceOS.ai gives researchers tools to:

• 🌐 Access over 225 million research papers and knowledge sources, complete with in-text citations and citation networks.
  
• 📑 Engage with PDFs and reference libraries through interactive AI, making literature reviews and critical analysis more efficient.
  
• 🤝 Collaborate across teams with shared collections, projects, and AI-assisted writing features.
  
• 🔒 Preserve privacy with EU-based hosting, ensuring user data and research integrity remain protected.
  

This session explores how scienceOS.ai aligns with Open Science principles such as transparency, accessibility, and collaboration- and what this means for researchers, institutions, and policy-makers across Africa. 

Impact on African Research: 

1. Access to global research output and an enhanced/quick literature review
2. Enhanced discoverability of research output when using AI-assisted networks
3. Potential for collaboration with other researchers/institutions when discoverability is enhanced

Due to a lack of access, funding, etc, researchers (especially in Africa) may face problems with finding literature, publishing, or collaborations. By incorporating platforms such as scienceOS.ai, the aforementioned problems can be curbed. 

We discussed practical applications for African scholars, strategies for integrating AI into open research workflows, and opportunities for strengthening Africa’s presence in global knowledge production.

Who is this for?

• Academic researchers and postgraduate students across Africa.
• Librarians, research managers, and policymakers.
• Open Science advocates and digital scholarship professionals.
• Anyone interested in AI, scholarly communication, and global knowledge equity.
  

Session outline

• Introduction to scienceOS: Background, mission, and key features.
  
• Use Cases: Practical examples of how scienceOS has been used to enhance research workflows.
  • Getting an overview of a new research area
  • Finding related papers not to miss foundational and subsequent research
  • Comparing results from several papers and assessing their validity
  • Drafting scientific texts by the example of a grant application
    
• ScienceOS and Open Science: How the ScienceOS platform supports Open Data, Open Access, collaboration, and reproducibility: How to disclose the use of AI tools.
  
• Integration and Usability: How scienceOS can be adopted by African research institutions.

About scienceOS

The AI research agent for scientists with high standards and little time.

With the growing volume of scientific publications, keeping track of relevant studies has become increasingly challenging. ScienceOS provides access to a trusted database of over 225 million scientific papers and offers answers grounded directly in this literature – including in-text citations that transparently link you to new and relevant studies as you explore your research questions. Additionally, you can upload PDF documents to analyze and compare full texts side by side.

Whether you are evaluating a specific study or examining multiple papers together, scienceOS enables you to do this through straightforward, conversational interactions – similar to discussing insights with a colleague. Its advanced algorithms go beyond keyword searches, factoring in elements like citation counts and publication dates; scienceOS ensures that each answer is based on the most relevant and reliable papers.

In addition to robust search capabilities, scienceOS includes tools such as citation networks and an internal reference manager, enabling you to build and manage your own paper database, create shared libraries, and collaborate with your colleagues. Designed to save you time and build confidence in your findings, scienceOS also opens new possibilities for connecting insights across fields. With scienceOS, you can navigate scientific knowledge seamlessly and intuitively, trusting in a tool that understands the standards of scientific rigor.

Website: https://www.scienceos.ai/

This webinar series is co-organized by UbuntuNet Alliance (https://ubuntunet.net/) and Access 2 Perspectives (https://access2perspectives.org/) and supported by the African Open Science Platform (AOSP; https://aosp.org.za/)