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.

Read the full call for papers and submit your abstract here

Please note all abstracts should be submitted by 20 October 2025