OK North

OK North is a networking initiative connecting open knowledge organizations across Northern Europe. It strengthens collaboration around open government data, open science, open educational resources, and open culture by sharing information, pooling resources, coordinating advocacy, and building a supportive community of practice.

The network helps members follow public policy developments, exchange knowledge, and highlight the societal value of openness by showcasing local initiatives and practical benefits. Rather than a formal coalition, OK North functions as a flexible network that enables organizations to collaborate and support each other when useful, while maintaining their independence.

The initiative supports learning and capacity-building across the network by pooling open access resources. Through shared communications and amplifying each other’s work, OK North aims to strengthen the visibility, resilience, and impact of the open knowledge ecosystem in the region.

Partners

Activities

Kickoff (June 2026)

The project kickstarts with a meeting at the Oulu Löyly open culture think & do fest AvoinGLAM/OKFI organizes in Oulu in June 2026. It invites advocates of open culture, policy makers, technologists and creative thinkers to explore digital sovereignty for heritage communities in the open digital ecosystem.

Implementation (June 2026 – 2027)

Establishing communication channels

Group chat, collaboration platform, space for pooled resources. The project will explore and transition to data sovereign options during the project period.

Communicating

Regular calls, ongoing sharing of news & calls to action, collaboration by request, presenting the network activities at international events.

Developing resources

  • OKFI will develop and maintain Wikidocumentaries (currently offline) as a way to demonstrate open resources in collaboration with OpenDenmark, and Openmag for RSS feed aggregation, funneling curated news and calls to action in the domain of open knowledge.

Communication outputs

Joint or collaboratively produced statements locally or internationally, pooled and localizable resources, public-facing materials.

  • OKEE will design, localise (into Estonian language) and share materials to promote data openness and data literacy. 
  • OKFI will make creative advocacy materials for the network.

Fostering communities

  • OKEE will host an event in Tallinn in 2027 to strengthen the local network.
  • OKFI coordinates the Finnish Open Knowledge Advocacy Network.
  • Oslo will host upcoming meetings with the Open Knowledge Network and Creative Commons in 2026 and 2027. The events will bring together practitioners and organizations working with open data, open licensing, and open knowledge ecosystems to share insights, strengthen collaboration, and explore how open approaches can support public-interest initiatives.
  • OpenDenmark will employ a community coordinator.

Follow-up (throughout 2027)

  • The second in-person meetup will be organized in 2027
  • The outcomes of the collaboration will be reported at 3 European and international events. 
  • The results will be shared and documented online.