Reflections from the 3rd Global Summit on Diamond Open Access
The summit reaffirmed the status of diamond open access as a global movement that is growing ever more coherent and better coordinated.
European Diamond Capacity Hub (EDCH) Public Launch
15 January 2025 marked an important milestone for Diamond Open Access with the official launch of the European Diamond Capacity Hub (EDCH). This new initiative aims to systematically strengthen and connect national Diamond Open Access capacity centres, publishers, and other stakeholders across Europe.
The launch of EDCH took place as part of a joint kick-off event with the newly established EU-funded ALMASI Project (Aligning and Mutualizing Nonprofit Open Access Publishing Services Internationally). The event was held on 14–15 January 2025 in Madrid, at the headquarters of FECYT in the National Museum of Science and Technology (MUNCYT).
During the launch event, the key objectives and functions of the European Diamond Capacity Hub were presented, including opportunities for engagement by national, institutional, and disciplinary capacity centres, Diamond publishers, and publishing service providers. Particular emphasis was placed on collaboration, knowledge sharing, capacity building, and strengthening the quality and sustainability of the Diamond publishing model in the European context.
The programme also introduced the ALMASI Project, which seeks to develop a nonprofit, high-quality, and long-term sustainable scholarly communication ecosystem for Open Access across three regions: Africa, Europe, and Latin America. In this way, ALMASI complements the work of EDCH by adding a global dimension and fostering international cooperation in the field of Diamond Open Access.
The establishment of the European Diamond Capacity Hub represents a significant step towards the systematic support of Diamond Open Access in Europe and provides an important foundation for the development of national initiatives, including the emerging Czech Diamond Open Access capacity centre.
“The EDCH is a collective initiative. It aims to establish an aligned, equitable, high-quality, and sustainable Diamond OA publishing infrastructure, led by the scholarly communities, and without fees for readers or authors.”
Pierre Mounier, co-coordinator of the EDCH
