The Leo Waaijers Open Science Award is an initiative of , the collaboration of the 13 Dutch university libraries and the National Library of the Netherlands. The aim of the award is to highlight inspiring Open Science initiatives and, in doing so, to encourage and motivate others.
Leo Waaijers (1938–2023) was a tireless advocate for Open Access and a rebalancing of power between public and private actors in the realm of scientific knowledge. For 35 years, he was a highly active voice in the world of scholarly information, continuously challenging the status quo with new ideas, proposals and action plans. With this award, UKB hopes to inspire others to follow in his footsteps.
Nominate yourself or someone else
Submit your nomination by completing the by 1 September 2025. You may nominate yourself or someone else. In mid-September, the jury will announce a shortlist of nominations based on the criteria below. The winner will be announced on 24 October during the in Groningen.
This year’s jury consists of:
- Anna van ’t Veer (Leiden University)
- Hubert Krekels (Wageningen University & Research)
- Maurits van der Graaf (Pleiade Management & Consultancy)
Award criteria
- The Open Science initiative must be (at least partly) rooted in the Netherlands (international initiatives are welcome);
- The initiative must be no older than five years;
- The jury will evaluate the initiative based on one or more of the following qualities: boldness, inspiration, innovation, impact, and the ability to mobilise others.
The prize consists of a commemorative token. The winner will receive broad recognition and visibility across the Open Science community. For any questions, please contact jury member Maurits van der Graaf.
Let us know as well!
Are you nominating yourself or someone else for the Leo Waaijers Open Science Award? If so, we at the Radboud Open Science Programme would love to hear from you too! As the Open Science working group, we aim to highlight and celebrate outstanding initiatives within our university. Let’s work together to raise the profile of Open Science at uu77.
Feel free to get in touch with dirk.vangorp [at] ru.nl — not only to let us know about your nomination, but also if you’d like some advice or support in preparing your submission.