Open Access in Germany
Joint open access guidelines of the federal and state governments in Germany published
The joint guidelines of the federal and state governments were presented on 6 June 2023 at the 16th Berlin Open Access conference. With these guidelines, the Federal Government and the states want to take into account the central importance of Open Access in science policy. The transformation of scientific publishing to Open Access should be completed within the next few years and the open publication of scientific results from publicly funded research should become the standard.
In the joint guidelines, the Federal Government and the Länder declare that Open Access is a matter of particular concern to them. They emphasise that it is necessary to make research results quickly and digitally accessible to globally networked researchers as well as to policy-makers and the general public in order to be able to address societal challenges in an appropriate and science-driven manner. With these guidelines, the Federal Government and the Länder are expressing their joint political will to strengthen the establishment of Open Access in the German science system.
It is the declared aim of the Federal Government and the Länder to promote the diversity and sustainability of Open Access.
The continuation of the far-reaching transformation process towards Open Access requires targeted and interlocking support from the state. The Federal Government and the Länder are pursuing the goal of providing long-term, reliable and appropriate support for the transformation process towards Open Access.
In line with the recommendation of the Council of Science and Humanities, the Federal Government and the Länder see a particularly important role for the heads of universities and institutions in their strategic responsibility for the transformation towards Open Access.
The Länder support Open Access as far as possible through the following instruments university management, for example in science and university development plans, through their own OA strategies or as part of their own Open Access strategies or as part of comprehensive digital strategies.
The Federal Government and the Länder declare that they themselves will set a good example by publishing openly and using open licences wherever this makes sense and is possible open licences and to ensure the long-term and permanently citable availability of their own publications.