University Library Applies Again Successfully for Funding of the German Research Foundation for Open Access-Publications
Funding of the German Research Foundation (DFG) amounting around 439.000 Euro will enhance the Publication Fund of the University Library of Chemnitz University of Technology for supporting Open Access-publications in the years 2025-2027
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Open Science includes many strategies and procedures in order to turn components of scientific processes publicly accessible, transparent and reusable. At Chemnitz University of Technology, the University Library serves as incubator for that. Photographic: Image Archive of the Press Office and Crossmedia Communications/ Jacob Müller
Chemnitz University Library is known within the university landscape in Germany as pioneer of “Open Access” – which means the free access to publications. Thanks to funding within the program “Open Access Publication Costs“ of the German Research Foundation (DFG), the University Library of Chemnitz University of Technology is able to continue its service offers. The recently acquired funding amounts around 439,000 Euro (incl. overhead funding) and will be used for the enhancement and further development of the Publication Fund, existing since 2013, as well as for the financing of transformation agreements (e.g. DEAL).
“Publications of university adherents in Open Access-journals will still be financed by the Fund up to an article fee of 2,000 Euro. This amount may be subsidized by up to 700 Euro by the DFG-funding acquired”, Angela Malz, Director of the University Library, reports. In 2024, an Open Access-monograph could be funded for the first time. In the new period from 2025-2027, funding for monographs is available as well. “However, those have to be elaborated within DFG-projects and may be funded by up to 5,000 Euro by the DFG-program”, Malz explains. Information regarding all funding criteria and a form for application for funding are available on the websites of the University Library. In addition, the University Library also provides concise information regarding transformation agreements on its website regarding transformation agreements with publishers.
Since years, large German scientific organizations as well as leading international research and cultural institutions demand that academic articles should be published directly Open Access – meaning freely accessible. In their “Berlin Declaration on Open Access to Knowledge in the Sciences and Humanities” they already sent a clear sign for the charge-free access to textual publications as well as to research information, images and multimedia objects as well as their comprehensive reusability. The declaration was signed by more than 800 institutions and organizations world wide until now. In June 2015 also Chemnitz University of Technology joined. Since years, Chemnitz University Library is a promoter of the global Open Access-initiative. In 2016 and 2020, it was awarded the “Open Library Badge”. By this award, its commitment as Library for more openness in science and society was honored. As examples may serve the Open Access publishing and the application of Open Source-software for the University Bibliography or the Online-Catalog for instance. The objective of the “Open Library Badge”-initiative consists on establishing a system of incentives for libraries promoting the concept of openness in many and varied ways. In this context, it is always of crucial importance that knowledge is provided in a way that it is available and findable free of barriers.
Information pool of the University Library regarding the topic of “Open Science”: https://www.tu-chemnitz.de/ub/openscience/index.html.en
Contact data of the Open-Access-Team of Chemnitz University Library: Ute Blumtritt, phone: +49 (0)371 531-31290, email oa@bibliothek.tu-chemnitz.de
(Translation: Dr. Wolfgang Lambrecht)
Mario Steinebach
17.01.2025
