SPARC Europe has launched the Diamond Open Access (OA) Policy Forum to unite policymakers and funders from Africa, Europe, and Latin America in advancing equitable and community-led approaches to scholarly publishing.
The Diamond OA Policy Forum was officially launched on October 29, 2025, drawing participation from more than 370 attendees worldwide. The event, chaired by Vanessa Proudman, Director, SPARC Europe, marked a key milestone in SPARC Europe’s leadership of the initiative under the ALMASI project.
The Forum brings together policymakers and funders at international, national, and local levels to discuss nonprofit scholarly publishing policies, funding needs, progress, and challenges. Its overarching goal is to foster a fairer and more inclusive global publishing ecosystem by developing policy recommendations and sustainable funding mechanisms that support Diamond OA publishing models across diverse contexts.
During the launch, Vanessa introduced how the ALMASI project is contributing to the sustainability of Diamond OA worldwide, emphasizing its importance for retaining autonomy in research dissemination, expanding access to knowledge, and preserving cultural and linguistic heritage. The event highlighted how Diamond OA models—free to both readers and authors—reduce inequities in access to knowledge and knowledge production, empower researchers to participate in global scientific discourse, and enable multilingual publishing that reflects regional and cultural heritage.
Speakers from Africa, Europe, and Latin America shared insights into nonprofit publishing initiatives and policy and funding developments that are strengthening Diamond OA in their regions. Among the speakers were Bianca Amaro from Brazil’s Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation; Francisco Alarcón from the Consejo Superior Universitario Centroamericano; Michelle Doran from Ireland’s National Open Research Forum; Nicolas Fressengeas from the Université de Lorraine; Birgit Schreiber from the Southern African Regional Universities Association; Steven Sebbale from the Uganda National Council for Science and Technology; and Victoria Tsoukala from the European Commission.
ALMASI partners Arianna Becerril García of Redalyc and AmeliCA, Susan Murray of African Journals Online, and Johan Rooryck of OPERAS also contributed to the discussions. The Forum will expand through three regional fora in Africa, Europe, and Latin America over the next six months, with the international Forum continuing to convene representatives from all three regions twice a year.
Recordings of the launch event will be made available soon in English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish, along with an FAQ sheet summarizing the key points addressed during the discussions.
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