GOAP.info: Mapping the Global Future of Open Science from the Global South

Redacción HC
07/06/2023

In an era when the digital divide continues to shape who has access to knowledge, a quiet but powerful revolution is unfolding. The UNESCO-supported relaunch of GOAP.info — the Global Open Access Portal — marks a major step toward reclaiming scientific knowledge as a global public good, especially for communities historically excluded from the academic mainstream.

Despite the massive growth in digital platforms and global research output, access to science remains deeply inequitable. Most scholarly literature is locked behind paywalls, overwhelmingly produced in English and controlled by a few commercial publishers based in the Global North. For researchers, educators, policymakers, and citizens in the Global South, this creates a systemic barrier to knowledge.

GOAP.info aims to change that.

Why Open Access Matters More Than Ever

Knowledge is power — but only if it is accessible. For millions of people worldwide, the walls around scientific research remain too high to climb. The new version of GOAP.info, launched with the support of UNESCO, Redalyc, AmeliCA, and other regional actors, seeks to dismantle those walls by mapping the global landscape of open access science policy, infrastructure, and actors.

The initiative aligns with UNESCO’s 2021 Recommendation on Open Science, which defines knowledge as a common good and calls for equitable, multilingual, and inclusive access to scientific outputs.

GOAP.info: A New Infrastructure for Open Knowledge

Unlike academic journals or repositories, GOAP.info is not a platform for hosting research papers. Instead, it functions as an interactive atlas of open science, cataloguing:

• National policies and laws related to open access
• Publicly funded repositories and scientific journals
• Key institutional actors in science policy
• Tools, resources, and educational materials on open science

The portal currently features data from over 150 countries, offering a centralized view of the state of open access worldwide.

What Makes This Portal Different?

1. A Platform Designed with the Global South in Mind

GOAP.info gives prominence to Latin America and Africa, regions where non-commercial, cooperative models of science publishing have been thriving for years. Unlike dominant platforms that charge authors to publish or readers to access content, Redalyc and SciELO offer open, fee-free access — models now spotlighted by GOAP as alternatives to the paywall-centric status quo.

“This is not just a portal — it's a recognition of the leadership of the South in open science,” notes UNESCO’s Regional Science Office for Latin America and the Caribbean.

2. Multilingual Access as a Principle, Not an Afterthought

Language is one of the largest hidden barriers in academia. GOAP.info’s multilingual approach — with content available in Spanish and other languages — ensures that non-English-speaking communities are not excluded from the global scientific dialogue.

3. Policy Transparency and Comparative Tools

The portal allows users to compare national open science policies, identify legal gaps, and learn from regional best practices. Governments, research funders, and university administrators can use this information to design stronger, more equitable science strategies.

Practical Impact for Governments, Researchers, and Society

Governments and Institutions

• Use GOAP.info to draft or revise national open access mandates
• Benchmark policy progress against global peers
• Integrate portal data into science planning and funding mechanisms

Universities and Libraries

• Promote adoption of non-commercial open access journals
• Use the portal’s tools to evaluate where national infrastructure needs investment
• Facilitate training and advocacy for open science among faculty and students

Civil Society and Educators

• Empower educators, journalists, and activists to access and explain scientific knowledge
• Identify whether a country’s scientific system is inclusive or dependent on commercial publication models
• Strengthen demands for public access to publicly funded research

A Regional Perspective: Latin America’s Pioneering Role

While often overlooked in global rankings dominated by commercial metrics, Latin America is a global leader in open science infrastructure. Platforms like Redalyc and AmeliCA have demonstrated that quality research can be freely published and accessed without compromising rigor.

GOAP.info not only recognizes this leadership — it helps amplify it. Countries like Argentina, Mexico, Colombia, Peru, and Brazil are prominently featured, offering roadmaps for others to follow.

Looking Ahead: Expanding and Democratizing Scientific Knowledge

While GOAP.info is a major step forward, its success depends on continuous data updates, institutional engagement, and community use. The portal is not an endpoint but a living infrastructure, one that invites participation from beyond the ivory tower.

To further its mission, the report recommends:

• Promoting GOAP.info among decision-makers, universities, and regional networks
• Using its data to guide national and institutional policy design
• Including civil society in conversations about how knowledge is produced, accessed, and used

“A map is only useful if people know how to read it and have somewhere to go,” says a regional expert on open science. GOAP.info offers both direction and purpose.

Conclusion: Toward an Open and Just Scientific Future

As digital technology reshapes the world, ensuring universal access to scientific knowledge is no longer optional — it is essential. GOAP.info offers a strategic, regionally grounded, and ethically driven tool to help countries transition from fragmented and exclusive models of research toward systems rooted in equity, transparency, and cooperation.

Whether you’re a policymaker, librarian, educator, or researcher, now is the time to explore GOAP.info — and to reclaim science as a shared right, not a privilege.

Topics of interest

Open Access Academia Technology