Qatar National Library invites submissions for its second Open Initiative Award, with a deadline of 7 October 2021. The award will be given to the best initiatives that have contributed to the advancement of open scholarship in Qatar in the past year.
During its inaugural year in 2020, the Open Initiative Award witnessed some of the best project submissions in the areas of student mentorship, open access research and journal publishing. Dr. Julie Decock, a scientist at Cancer Research Center, QBRI-HBKU, and Assistant Professor at College of Health and Life Sciences, HBKU, won the “Best Individual Award 2020,” and Bait Al-Mashura Journal won the “Best Institutional Award 2020.”
His Excellency Dr. Hamad Bin Abdulaziz Al-Kawari, Minister of State, Qatar and President of Qatar National Library, said, “We are proud to launch the second Open Initiative Award and look forward to receiving the best submissions from our applicants in Qatar. The open access movement is critical, as it unleashes the potential of research, giving free access to all data and thereby making it easier for individuals and institutions to dive deep into groundbreaking research work. As we move into the second year of the awards, we hope to inspire individuals, institutions and the research community to share knowledge and make all outcomes visible and accessible to all.”
The recipients of the Open Initiative Award 2021 will be announced during a virtual ceremony on 3 November, the concluding event of Open Access Week, which is scheduled to take place between 25 and 31 October. During Open Access Week, the Library will organize a workshop where the publisher Taylor and Francis will guide local researchers and authors on how to prepare a manuscript for submission and publication in open access journals. The Library will also conduct a panel discussion to explore the topic of a sustainable and successful open access future in Qatar and the region.
Open Access Week is organized as part of International Open Access Week, a global event and an opportunity for the academic and research communities to continue to learn about the potential benefits of open access, share their learnings with colleagues and help inspire wider participation to make open access a new norm in scholarship and research.
To submit for the Open Initiative Award please visit the Awards page on the Library’s website (https://www.qnl.qa/en/open-access-initiative-award). For more information on events related to the Open Access Week in October, please visit the Events page on the Library’s website (www.qnl.qa/en/events).
