On 17 March 2022 the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) signed an action plan to promote science-driven open access publishing infrastructures. The “Action Plan for Diamond Open Access” is an initiative by Science Europe, the cOAlition S, OPERAS (a European infrastructure for open science communication in the social sciences and humanities) and the French funding organisation Agence nationale de la recherche (ANR).

“Diamond” open access (OA) is an open access business model in which no fees are charged to either authors or readers. The publication infrastructure for freely accessible first publications is provided by academic institutions or financed by professionally organised academic associations such as learned societies.

There are an estimated 29,000 journals operating worldwide under the “Diamond” OA model, almost half of which (45 percent) are based in Europe. This model is particularly popular in the humanities and social sciences (HSS), and offers advantages in terms of ensuring equal access to information. It means that, since there are no publication costs, no disadvantages are incurred to disciplines, countries, regions or institutions with limited financial resources.

The action plan sets four priorities that are in line with the DFG’s commitment to open access:

• Improve the efficiency and collaboration of “Diamond” OA journals and platforms
• Standardise and harmonise quality requirements
• Improve the skills of researchers and publishers and build a supranational non-profit capacity centre
• Optimise the sustainability of Diamond OA publication infrastructures

The DFG promotes the “Diamond” OA model in particular under its programme “Infrastructures for Scholarly Publishing”. By supporting the action plan, the aim is to strengthen the coordination of international activities geared towards demand-driven and science-led open access publishing without profit interests.

Further Information

“Action Plan for Diamond Open Access”, published on 2 March 2022:

• https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6282403

DFG funding programme “Infrastructures for Scholarly Publishing”:

• www.dfg.de/en/research_funding/programmes/infrastructure/lis/ funding_opportunities/infrastructures_publishing

Questions on proposal submission in the area of Diamond Open Access infrastructures:

• Dr. Astrid Sänger
  Scientific Library Services and Information Systems
  Tel. +49 228 885-2036
  astrid.saenger@dfg.de

Questions on the DFG’s funding activities in the area of open access:

• Dr. Angela Holzer
  Scientific Library Services and Information Systems
  Tel. +49 228 885-2568
  angela.holzer@dfg.de