UNESCO initially framed open science as allowing scientific information, data, and outputs to be more widely accessible (open access) and more reliably harnessed (open data) with the active engagement of all the stakeholders (Open to Society). From this point of departure, UNESCO set out to design the Recommendation through a regionally balanced, multistakeholder, inclusive, and transparent consultation process.

A number of networks supporting low-cost and open source hardware contributed. The Citizen Science Global Partnership chartered a Citizen Science & Open Science Community of Practice (CS & OS CoP). Members co-authored an input paper consolidating the views of 63 citizen science practitioners from 24 countries; this paper includes a discussion of open hardware along with open source software, and mentions the Gathering for Open Science Hardware as a “high-level Citizen Science Practitioner network.” Separately but relatedly, a representative from the Gathering for Open Science Hardware contributed through the Regional Consultation for Latin America and the Caribbean.

The first draft of the Recommendation was released in December 2020. Now recognizing that “‘Open Science means a complex of at least the following elements,” UNESCO includes open access; open data; open source software and open source hardware; open science infrastructures; open evaluation; open educational resources; open engagement of societal actors; and, openness to the diversity of knowledge. The draft also defines shared values and principles. Understanding and addressing the complexity of this space can help identify global opportunities and challenges of open science in bridging science, technology, and innovation gaps between and within countries.

UNESCO will continue to release drafts and lead other activities. Hopefully, low cost and open source hardware communities will continue to contribute, including by leveraging community consultation processes to consolidate input on, for example, the alignment of values and principles. Lastly, the final Recommendation may bring opportunities for these communities to work on countries designing implementation approaches, like a national strategy for hardware in the U.S. Work on such a strategy might bring in even more communities, such as the U.S. government Communities of Practice hosted by Digital.gov.