The eLife Ambassadors programme was proposed by our Early-Career Advisory Group (ECAG) to offer training and support to researchers on a global scale, upskilling them as champions of open science. The programme equips participants with skills and knowledge, not just on open science practices, but also on ethical leadership, well-being and general capacity building. During the programme, experts and experienced contributors deliver carefully crafted content to achieve that goal.
Our Ambassadors programme is an 18-month moderately intensive project that focuses on training and guiding researchers on improving their knowledge of open science, with the added advantage of other extracurricular subjects such as leadership, science communication, mental health and well-being, and community engagement.
The Ambassadors programme is open to all practising researchers in life and medical sciences who share a passion for fostering open science and all its facets within their community. eLife provides the resources required to train participants in this, including facilitating networking so that they can engage, learn from and collaborate with their peers from diverse backgrounds. We believe that this offers the opportunity to encounter and experience different perspectives, helping participants to strengthen their understanding as they gain new skills and knowledge.
In response to a high demand following limited admissions in 2022/23, the programme will be expanded to recruit 160 researchers globally for the 2025/26 cohort. We welcome applications from all researchers, with a special focus on those from underrepresented regions in academic publishing.
eLife aims to enhance diversity in the global scholarly publishing community by equipping researchers and practitioners with the skills to amplify their perspectives and advocate for the changes they seek. Upon completion, participants will receive support to lead initiatives that promote open science in their communities. Ideal applicants would be passionate about open science, driven, committed to learning, open to collaboration, and capable of implementing new or existing ideas in their local contexts.
Eligibility
Applicants must be practising scientists in academia or industry, including medical and PhD students. All locations, countries and territories are invited to apply.
Application process
The call for applications will open on Thursday, October 10, and close on Monday, November 4, 2024.
The application process involves a request for details about applicants, their career and interest in open science. Applicants will also be asked for a 200-word statement expressing their vision for open science. Localised visions are welcomed. However, we encourage applicants to share examples of any activities they have also contributed to, initiated, led or participated in, as part of their effort to foster open science. The details will be taken via a form. Information provided in this form will be used for the application process only.
The terms of reference governing the role of an Ambassador and the expectations within the role can be viewed here.
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Application assessment
eLife staff will review all applications to determine eligibility. Applicants will be notified if they did not meet the eligibility criteria. Those who meet the eligibility criteria will be allocated to assessors that include previous Ambassadors and other eLife Alumni, eLife editors and some staff. Applicants are assigned to three assessors at random. Assessors are given a rubric and scoring system for this purpose.
At the end of assessment, eLife staff will review the scores, adjust for diversity and announce the top 160 applicants. Those who did not make it are welcome to join our Open Science Champions Network, a supporters group that benefits from our training and events regularly, as well as being invited to contribute in our work.
Time requirement
Ambassadors are expected to attend at least one training or workshop event and one meetup every month. In addition, we expect those selected for this programme to make time to engage and collaborate with their peers, both at the local and international level to work on their identified issue.
Terms and conditions
Applicants can withdraw from the application and its process at any time as a matter of statutory rights. Should applicants withdraw after being selected to join the programme, eLife reserves the right to invite applicants further on the list to take their place. Ambassadors do not receive payment and are not expected to pay for the training, workshops or the resources for these activities. When hosting events under the auspices of this programme, eLife reserves the rights to review other partners to be involved. Although eLife may from time to time provide financial support to Ambassadors for their local activities, we do not guarantee that this will be possible where a participant is based in countries or regions that are under any form of international financial sanctions, which hinders us from making payment or transferring funds due to legal limitation. Should you want to discuss these terms, please email community@elifesciences.org with any questions you may have.
