Maria Paez

This paper examines how capacity building in open science (OS) can be a form of resource redistribution. We focus on MetaDocencia, a Latin American community of practice that adapted NASA’s Open Science 101 curriculum for Spanish-speaking learners and delivered training based on it in 2024. The adaptation involved translating materials, contextualising them with regionally relevant case studies, and connecting participants with each other and with funding opportunities. Drawing on a survey, participant observation, and direct involvement in the process, we show that Latin American communities of practice engaged in OS expose the limitations of broadly optimistic accounts of it that emphasise its benefits while overlooking the conditions required to achieve them. These communities do not necessarily represent alternative epistemologies, but pragmatically strive for better means for their work and to participate in international scientific networks. We argue that capacity building can be a key practice through which actors operating in unequal systems become redistributive agents reallocating not just skills, but also funding mechanisms, recognition, and organisational capacities. This case illustrates the vital role of these capacities in supporting grassroots initiatives, and shows that volunteering, while a driving force in early stages, can ultimately hinder them limiting diversity and inclusion.