Why decolonising science will give it greater impact

For decades modern scientific research has been controlled and directed by a small group of scientists and policy-makers, mostly white men from the Global North. Traditionally, developments in the science world have scarcely been a part of the public discourse and remain ‘a thing for the scientists’ to deal with. With COVID-19, scientific research and development has entered public debate on questions related to the virus and vaccines. However, the global movement advocating for ‘open science’ asks for science to be a part of our everyday lives permanently, not just during the pandemic.