Disputed openness: universities, epistemic inequality and market forces in open science in the era of artificial intelligence

This Higher Education Policy (HEP) special issue invites scholarly contributions that critically examine the promises and contradictions of open science. ‘Contributions should critically engage with the ways in which financial interests, policy frameworks, geopolitical asymmetries, and disciplinary hierarchies shape current models of openness. We are particularly interested in analyses of the policy and governance dimensions that influence how universities interpret and implement open science agendas. This includes examining institutional, regulatory or structural constraints preventing higher education institutions from engaging openly with societal stakeholders or fostering dialogue with alternative knowledge systems, particularly when such engagement challenges dominant epistemologies, disciplinary boundaries or funding models.

The full Call for Papers can be accessed here: https://www.iau-aiu.net/IMG/pdf/special_issue_proposal_11_july_2025_.pdf

Timeline:
Deadline for submission of abstracts: 20 October 2025
Notification of abstract acceptance: 5 December 2025
Full manuscripts due: 30 June 2026
First peer review period: July-September 2026
Revised papers due: 1 December 2026
Second peer review period: December 2026 – January 2027
Expected publication date: April-May 2027

For any questions, please contact:

Carolina Guzmán-Valenzuela: carolina.guzman@uab.cat or Trine Jensen: t.jensen@iau-aiu.net