Open knowledge: challenges and facts

ENThis article opens the special issue of the journal Online Information Review on Open Knowledge Management in Higher Education. Its aim is to review the concept and extension of the movement or philosophy of Open Knowledge in universities and Higher Education institutions. The approach will follow the reference model used by the University of Salamanca (Spain) to promote open knowledge in the institution through its Open Knowledge Office. This model comprised four areas: free software, open educational contents and dissemination, open science and open innovation. each of the four areas mentioned above, milestones and the most significant projects will be presented, showing how they are promoting publication and information transmission in an open environment, without restrictions and favouring knowledge dissemination in all fields. Open Knowledge is an approach which, though having some controversy is growing relentlessly as cultural and scientific dissemination leave behind any other interests or economic models. International organizations and governments are gradually embracing Open as the way to share scientific advances with society and as an international cooperation measure to favour development in third-world countries.