Busitema University Celebrates Open Access Week 2025
Busitema University joined the world in celebrating International Open Access week 2025, held under the global theme "Who Owns Our Knowledge?". The week long celebration took place from 20th to 24th October 2025 at the Faculty of Engineering library, Busitema University and featured a dynamic blend of activities that brought together students, farmers, researchers, staff, lecturers and members of the surrounding community. In response to the global theme, Busitema University adopted a localized theme: "Our Campus, Our Community, Our Knowledge: Opening Access for Ugandan Solutions. This theme sought to advance the free and open exchange of scholarly research and locally generated knowledge, making it accessible to help tackle Uganda’s unique challenges and promote inclusive, sustainable development.
The event opened with presentations from local farmers, who showcased various farming practices and shared the challenges they face in their day-to-day work. Their goal was to engage with engineering students and Faculty OF Engineering to explore collaborative solutions particularly in the development of machinery and technologies that could improve agricultural productivity.
On the second day, library staff facilitated hands-on sessions to help researchers, academics, and students create and optimize their profiles on platforms such as ORCID, Google Scholar, ResearchGate, and Academia.edu. These efforts aimed to boost the visibility of individual research outputs and enhance the university’s overall academic footprint.
Midweek, the theme shifted to “Amplifying Your Voice”, encouraging participants to take part in a social media campaign using the hashtag #BusitemaOpenKnowledge2025. Students and community members were invited to reflect on two key questions: What Ugandan problem does your research solve? and Who should benefit from your findings? The campaign sparked meaningful conversations about the purpose and impact of academic work beyond the university walls.
Thursday brought a spirited quiz competition where student teams from all six campuses tested their knowledge on open access, research practices, and Busitema University’s contributions to knowledge sharing. The challenge fostered teamwork, learning, and pride in the university’s mission with winners walking away with prize money.
The final day which was the grand finale, focused on practical tools for open publishing. Participants learned about Creative Commons licenses and how to publish their theses on BUScholar, Busitema’s institutional repository. Farmers were also invited to tour the university’s engineering workshop, where they interacted with students and staff, pitched ideas, and explored prototypes of machinery that could support their farming practices.
Open Access Week 2025 at Busitema University was more than a celebration it was a powerful demonstration of how academic institutions can collaborate with communities to co-create solutions, amplify local voices, and democratize knowledge. Through these activities, the university reaffirmed its impact to the communities surrounding it.
