Celebrating 20 Years of the Berlin Declaration: Frontiers Supports Open Access Days 2023 Berlin, October 2, 2023 - Open access publisher Frontiers proudly lends its support to the Open Access Days 2023 conference, which took place in Berlin from September 27 to 29, 2023. This event, aptly themed "Shaping Visions," centered on the fundamental principles of open and free access to research findings, scientific literature, and other intellectual resources on the internet.
Hosted by the Freie Universität Berlin and organized by the Open-Access-Büro Berlin, Open Access Days 2023 serves as an annual focal point for discussions on open access (OA) within German-speaking countries. The conference featured a diverse program comprising lectures, workshops, panel discussions, poster sessions, and a tool marketplace. These elements collectively provided a backdrop for in-depth conversations regarding topics such as monitoring costs and assessing equitable paths toward open access and open science.
This year marked the 20th anniversary of the Berlin Declaration on Open Access to Knowledge in the Sciences and Humanities, a landmark international statement on open access and knowledge accessibility. Initially published in 2003, the Berlin Declaration has since become an integral part of scientific practice, defining open access and outlining the necessary steps to nurture the open access paradigm.
The conference featured three distinguished keynote speakers, each offering unique perspectives on the transformation to open access: Dr. Henriette Rösch, Head of the Collection Development and Metadata Department at Leipzig University Library, provided insights into the organizational development of libraries in the context of the open access transformation; Dr. Vera Meyer, Head of the Chair of Molecular and Applied Microbiology at the Technical University of Berlin, explored the acceleration of transformation processes through open research at the intersection of science, art, and society; and Dr. Amrei Bahr, Junior Professor of Philosophy of Technology and Information at the University of Stuttgart, discussed the ethical dimensions of scientific publishing and the adverse effects of access restrictions on scientific progress.
Frontiers, as a staunch advocate for open access and open science, plays a pivotal role in the scholarly publishing landscape. The publisher's mission is to promote open science, enabling researchers to collaborate more effectively and innovate rapidly to address critical global challenges. The value of open access to publicly funded research is undeniable, offering substantial social and economic benefits while fostering collaboration across diverse disciplines.
In line with its researcher-centric approach, Frontiers offered several free tickets to early career researchers from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland as part of its sponsorship of Open Access Days 2023. This initiative encourages collaboration, knowledge exchange, and information sharing among the scientific community, supporting the next generation of researchers in their academic endeavors.
Frontiers' continued dedication to open access and its support of initiatives like Open Access Days 2023 underscore the publisher's commitment to advancing science through openness and accessibility.
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