The AEGIS-OA project has been launched as a two-year project funded by the European Commission under the Horizon Europe call “Enhancing the European R&I system.”
The project aims to support the development of a high-quality, non-profit scholarly publishing ecosystem by expanding the European Diamond Capacity Hub (EDCH) to include books and by instrumentalizing the Diamond Open Access Standard (DOAS).
According to SPARC Europe, one of 13 core partners in a 24-organization consortium led by OPERAS, the initiative will continue efforts to strengthen Diamond open access across Europe. The organization’s work will focus on capacity building and on developing essential skills and competencies for the sector.
This work will include building on and updating sustainability resources developed through the DIAMAS project, advising on a new Diamond OA Open Educational Resources (OER) service, and encouraging broader non-profit publishing collaboration across Europe. These efforts are intended to support publishing professionals and improve the accessibility and integration of educational materials for editors, authors, and the wider community.
SPARC Europe will also help organize the first online European Diamond OA Festival, which is planned as an annual event bringing together community members, particularly from widening countries, to strengthen cohesion, promote learning, and share innovation.
In addition, the organization informed it will contribute to network building and resource pooling by supporting the European National Capacity Centres Network (NCCN) and the development of a dedicated European Diamond OA Books Community.
The project also includes participation in strategic modeling and the expansion of funding mechanisms for Research Performing Organizations and Research Funding Organizations (RPOs and RFOs). According to SPARC Europe, these efforts are intended to help Europe’s non-profit publishing infrastructure continue to develop and remain resilient and community-driven beyond the project period.
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