Reflections from the 3rd Global Summit on Diamond Open Access

27 Feb 2026

From 2 to 6 February 2026, the third Global Summit on Diamond Open Access was held in Bengaluru, India, bringing together dozens of experts from around the world – librarians, publishers, editors, researchers, institutions, and science‑policy makers. The aim of the meeting was to strengthen community‑driven, non‑commercial publishing models and to work collectively toward a sustainable, equitable, and globally interconnected Diamond Open Access ecosystem.

• Can we scale sustainably? – Moving Diamond OA from a “niche” model to a consolidated, global infrastructure without losing community control.

• How can we promote the idea of knowledge as a "Digital public good"? – Aligning our platforms with national and global science policies to ensure they are treated as essential public infrastructure.

A major outcome of the Summit is the Bengaluru Roadmap for Diamond OA. The Roadmap brings together shared objectives and actions identified during the Summit, while leaving space for regional, national, disciplinary, and institutional pathways to implementation. Its value lies not only in the recommendations it formulates, but also in the processes of alignment, mutual support, and accountability it seeks to encourage within the community.

• How do we change the “prestige” game? – Shifting research assessment so that authors are rewarded for choosing equitable, fee-free publishing over commercial journals.

The theme of responsible research assessment surfaced as an essential bridge. Participants voiced a shared realisation that Diamond OA cannot truly grow and succeed unless metrics shift to value an equitable publishing ecosystem that embodies bibliodiversity, multilingualism, and epistemic justice  over traditional, commercialised academic prestige.