ZB MED – Information Center for Life Sciences has launched a fundraising campaign to support the development of OLSPub, the Open Life Science Publication Database, positioned as a European alternative to PubMed. The total cost of completing the project is estimated at €2 million.
Medical research, healthcare, and innovation depend on stable access to evidence-based information. A significant portion of medical knowledge infrastructure currently relies on U.S.-funded information services. Although European systems provide up-to-date mirrors of databases such as PubMed, those systems remain dependent on PubMed as a primary source. Such reliance introduces risks related to political decisions, economic interests, or technical disruptions.
OLSPub aims to mitigate those risks by independently harvesting metadata, including abstracts, directly from publishers. The project is designed to create strategic redundancy alongside PubMed and secure scientific knowledge as a public good within Germany and Europe.
Supporters of the initiative have emphasized the need for a reliable and permanent European archive of medical knowledge, particularly in the context of artificial intelligence and evolving geopolitical conditions. Ensuring resilient access to scientific and medical data is viewed as essential to safeguarding research continuity and patient care.
Despite the project’s role in strengthening research infrastructure, no government funding is currently available. A previous application for support from the German Research Foundation (DFG) was unsuccessful. ZB MED has therefore opted for community-based fundraising through direct donations and binding pledges. The long-term objective includes establishing an independent European governance structure in collaboration with research communities and publishers.
Funds raised through the three-phase campaign will be used to create an independent, open, and sustainable publication infrastructure for medical knowledge in Germany and across Europe.
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