The exchange of knowledge and the critical examination of results are vital aspects of research, so researchers must have access to the work of others and disseminate their own findings as widely as possible. However, high licence fees for electronic publications often hinder scientific exchange, especially in an international context. Moreover, research-related data which form the basis of published findings is often either inaccessible in traditional media or presented in a format that does not allow for comprehensive reuse. 

By contrast, open access publications which are freely accessible online can be read without restrictions, while raw and primary scientific data can be made available for productive reuse. The significance of electronic publishing currently varies between disciplines. Yet recent experience suggests that open access publications are now cited more frequently than conventional publications and attract considerable attention within the academic community: their comprehensive documentation provides a solid foundation for innovative research. 

For this reason, the DFG signed the Berlin Declaration on Open Access to Knowledge in the Sciences and Humanities(externer Link) on 22 October 2003, signalling its commitment to supporting progress in research by promoting freely accessible online electronic resources. More recently, in 2022, the DFG signed the Action Plan for Diamond Open Access (externer Link), initiated by Science Europe, cOAlition S, OPERAS (a European infrastructure for open scholarly communication in the humanities and social sciences), and the French funding agency Agence nationale de la recherche (ANR). The DFG supports the ISC’s principles with regard to scholarly publishing and the suggestions it puts forward for reforming academic publishing.

In January 2006, the DFG’s Joint Committee adopted a set of guidelines for the publication of results from DFG-funded projects on an open access basis, which was updated in 2020. The DFG expects project results to be published in appropriate open access journals or made available via open access repositories (cf. DFG form 2.00 – 01/25(Download), section 13.2).

No. However, the general funding guidelines (DFG form 2.00 – 01/25(Download)) do request researchers to publish in open access:

“DFG grant recipients are requested to publish their project results in open access for the purpose of adequate scholarly communication. The articles in question should either be published directly in quality-assured or recognised specialist open access journals or on open access platforms or, in addition to being published by a publishing company, be entered in discipline-specific or institutional electronic archives (repositories), if possible without a time delay. ”
(section 13.2, p. 45)

The DFG works closely with partners in Germany, Europe and the rest of the world to promote open access. Under the Alliance initiative “Digital Information”, the DFG supports the introduction of an inalienable second publication right. Through organisations and networks such as Knowledge Exchange, Science Europe and the Global Research Council, the DFG is also working at European and international level to influence the transformation of academic publishing from a subscription-based to an open access model. In 2022, the DFG signed the “Action Plan for Diamond Open Access”(externer Link).

DFG-funded authors can use the publication allowance obtained through individual funding or under Coordinated Programmes to cover any article processing charges required for publication in open access journals.

In addition, the DFG offers funding programmes(interner Link) for the establishment of open access infrastructure and services.

• Allianz priority “Digitality in Science“(externer Link)
• Knowledge Exchange(externer Link)
• Science Europe(externer Link)
• Global Research Council(externer Link)
• UNESCO(externer Link)
• About the project DEAL(externer Link)
• Information about the implementation of DEAL for authors, libraries and university administrations (DEAL Operations)(externer Link)
• Support for SCOSS/DOAJ(externer Link)
• Support for OAPEN Library (Online library of Open Access Books)(externer Link)

As part of their proposal for a research project, researchers can apply for a one-time allowance to cover publication costs (Basic module(Download), section 2.6). In the case of individual grants, for example, the DFG makes available a publication allowance of €750 per year of funding duration. One of the possible uses of this allowance is to cover the fees for open access publications.

If the fees for open access publication exceed the approved publication allowance, flexible funding allows the publication allowance to be increased by reducing the staff expenses or direct project costs within the same grant.

The DFG does not accept any proposals requesting funding exclusively for open access publishing. Publications funded under the “Publication Grants” programme should be published in open access; any decision not to publish in open access must be justified.

See here(interner Link) for more information about open access.