Four German universities will manage DFG's OA platform

[This post takes the place of a misleading post from November 20. --Peter.]

In September, Germany's DFG [Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft] launched the Informationsplattform Open Access, a nation-wide platform for OA German research. On Monday, the University of Bielefeld issued a press release (in German) to say more about the project. Today UB released an English translation. Excerpt:

Since September 2006 the German Science Foundation funds the implementation of a nation-wide online information portal on Open Access issues that is operated cooperatively by the Universities of Bielefeld, Goettingen, Constance and the Free University of Berlin, with support from DINI - German Initiative for Networked Information. The platform is intended to inform scientists, their professional societies, university administrations and the interested public comprehensively on objectives and use of Open Access, and support them with practical assistance on its implementation in practice....

Until now Information on Open Access is largely produced in an uncoordinated way and is mostly scattered widely throughout the Internet, much of it is dependent upon the local personal commitment of individuals. This fact is largely responsible for the discrepancy between the growing international significance of Open Access on one hand and the comparatively small publicity and little practice with German scientists on the other hand.

The new information portal sets out to counter this development in Germany. The offer addresses primarily scientific authors, university administrations and scholarly societies. Current deficits in information and use within the German Higher Education Landscape are sought to be removed by the concise presentation of relevant information on open access issues targeted to specific audiences. The information platform will also concentrate on concrete recommendations for action, know how and argumentation aids as well as the sharing of practical experience and all sort of information materials on Open Access.

The four project partners all belong to the pioneers on the field of Open Access in Germany. After its completion in May 2007, the online platform will be open to all interested users and additional cooperation partners for exchange of information and experiences. DINI - the German Initiative for Networked Information, regards the new information platform as a chance to better promote the relevant open access activities of DINI. Platform development and operation are therefore supported by DINI.

PS: When I posted the German and English versions of the press release to SOAF, I mistakenly attributed both to DFG, not to the University of Bielefeld. My apologies for any confusion this may have caused.