Prof. Johan Rooryck is stepping down as Executive Director of cOAlition S, effective July 3, 2025, after six years of service marked by organizational expansion and policy influence in open access publishing.
Prof. Rooryck began his involvement with cOAlition S in 2019 as an open access champion and later assumed the Executive Director role. Under his leadership, the coalition expanded its membership to 28 research funding and performing organizations, strengthened the implementation of Plan S, and consistently advocated for authors’ rights retention.
During his tenure, cOAlition S gained visibility within the scholarly communications landscape and actively shaped developments aligned with Plan S principles. Prof. Rooryck also played a central role in advancing Diamond Open Access initiatives, contributing to multiple EU-funded projects including Developing Institutional Open Access Publishing Models to Advance Scholarly Communication (DIAMAS), Creating a Robust Accessible Federated Technology for Open Access (CRAFT-OA), Policy Alignment of Open Access Monographs in the European Research Area (PALOMERA), and Aligning and Mutualizing Nonprofit Open Access Publishing Services Internationally (ALMASI).
His efforts supported the development of the Action Plan for Diamond Open Access, the establishment of the European Diamond Capacity Hub, and the creation of the UNESCO-backed Global Diamond OA Framework. He also co-chaired the CoARA Working Group, which focused on recognizing and rewarding peer review.
cOAlition S noted that operational continuity will be maintained following Prof. Rooryck’s departure through guidance from the Executive Steering Group and close coordination with participating member organizations. Strategic planning is underway to define the coalition’s next phase, which will be informed by consultation with stakeholders and assessment of global trends in scholarly communication.
The organization acknowledged Prof. Rooryck’s contributions to shaping its identity as a collaborative and influential advocate for open access. He is expected to continue his involvement in the open access movement, with a focus on strengthening Diamond OA infrastructure in Europe and globally.
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