Press release 27/01/2025

Start for SeDOA consortium: University of Applied Sciences Potsdam involved in DFG-funded national service centre for Diamond Open Access

Research

Open Access Veranschaulichung mit angedeutetem Netzwerk — ? Adobe Stock

The German Research Foundation (DFG) has approved the establishment of a national service centre for Diamond Open Access (SeDOA) in order to strengthen the German infrastructure for scientific open access publications and improve international networking. The aim of the project is to further expand the efficiency of the Diamond Open Access model in Germany and to establish it as a sustainable form of publication in the global scientific landscape that is supported by scientists and scientific institutions themselves.

Diamond Open Access (DOA) refers to a publishing system that gives academics and academic institutions responsibility and control over the publication process. In this model, academic texts (such as monographs, edited volumes and journal articles) are published without fees for readers or authors. This form of publication promotes diversity, multi-perspectivity and demand equity and is a central building block for a fairer and more transparent publication system.

The SeDOA consortium includes 14 other institutions in addition to the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam. Together, they will establish SeDOA as a national single point of contact for academics and institutions that support or wish to develop open access publication formats. As part of a European network and German Diamond Capacity Centre, SeDOA will also strengthen international cooperation. The project is led by the ULB Darmstadt, which currently provides the spokesperson for the consortium, Prof Dr Thomas St?cker, as well as the University Library of the Humboldt University in Berlin and the Max Weber Foundation in Bonn. The proposal was approved by the DFG's Joint Committee at its meeting on 11 December 2024 following a competitive call for proposals.

"Diamond Open Access represents an important step towards a more sustainable and inclusive publication culture. The new service centre will not only promote exchange and networking within the scientific community, but will also actively contribute to the further development of publication infrastructures," emphasises Prof. Dr Ulrike Wuttke, Professor of Library Science - Strategies, bob体育平台官网 Development and Science Communication Information Science Department at University of Applied Sciences Potsdam.

The service centre will carry out needs analyses, provide information materials and guidelines, organise workshops and training courses and offer legal advice, among other things. Another key component of the project is the creation of a comprehensive data basis by establishing a registry that documents and visualises scientific publication organs and infrastructures. In addition, the SeDOA Innovation Lab (SIL), headed by Prof. Dr Wuttke, will develop innovative concepts and approaches for the dynamisation of the Diamond Open Access model.

As part of a European network, the consortium will help to intensify international cooperation in the field of Diamond Open Access and further promote the model at European level.

"With the service centre, we not only want to strengthen the existing structures, but also actively create new perspectives and solutions for the further development of Diamond Open Access. The innovative power and direct exchange within the community are of crucial importance in order to make this publication model future-proof and sustainable," continues Prof Dr Ulrike Wuttke. "I am looking forward to working with my colleagues, especially with Prof. Dr Thomas St?cker, who is also a part-time professor of Digital Humanities at our university."

The service centre is initially funded for three years, with the aim of establishing and consolidating the model in the German and international academic landscape in the long term.

Participating academic institutions

The project is supported by a consortium of 15 institutions: