abreLA - Advancing Biomedical Research & Education in Latin America

The Open Research Community Accelerator (ORCA) - a non-profit dedicated to making science more engaging, accessible, and actionable - launched an initiative (2024-2026) to advance open biomedical education in Latin America. With funding from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, project abreLA (Advancing Biomedical Research & Education in Latin America) will train faculty to integrate open science practices and strategies into their university courses, utilizing open hardware and software tools to foster hands-on learning. By promoting the use of accessible technologies like electrophysiology recording devices and open-source data analysis software, this project aims to expand participation in biomedical education and research, particularly for institutions with limited resources. In the long term, the project aims to cultivate a more diverse and equitable biomedical workforce, with future researchers embracing the principles of transparency and collaboration. This project has been made possible in part by grant 2024-347841 from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative DAF, an advised fund of the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, awarded to the Open Research Community Accelerator (ORCA). Earlier foundational work was supported by UNAM-DGAPA-PAPIME PE213817 and PE213219 awarded to ECM.