Open Access for the benefit of science
Welcome to the Helmholtz Association´s Open Access information.
With 26,500 employees in 15 research centres and an annual budget of approximately 2.3 billion euros, the Helmholtz Association is Germany’s largest scientific organisation. The Helmholtz Association contributes to solving major challenges facing society, science and industry with top scientific achievements in natural and life sciences.
The Helmholtz Association was one of the initial signatories of the “Berlin Declaration on Open Access to Knowledge in the Sciences and Humanities” in 2003. This commitment towards open access was then formally approved on by its Assembly of Members (assembly of the directors of the Helmholtz centres): ”Publications from the Helmholtz Association shall in future, without exception, be available free of charge, in so far no conflicting Agreement with the publishers or others exists.” (Agreement of the Assembly of Members, 27.09.2004).
The Helmholtz Open Access Project
Since 2005 the Helmholtz Open Access Project supports the scientists as well as the respective Helmholtz centres in the realisation of Open Access. The project´s Newsletter and the Helmholtz Open Access Workshops are only two examples of how the project informs and advises employees about new developments, strategies, and ideas.
One example of the project´s success is that most Helmholtz centres now run institutional repositories. These openly accessible databases contain a significant and steadily growing share of the scientific output of the Helmholtz Association.
Open Access in Helmholtz research centres
Helmholtz centres support the “green road” as well as the “golden road” of Open Access. They are an active partner of the growing national and international network of Open Access stakeholders. One main focus of the Helmholtz Open Access activities is on the Open Access to research data.
You will find more information e.g. on current project activities on the website of the Helmholtz Open Access Project: http://oa.helmholtz.de
If you wish to contact the Helmholtz Open Access Project
Email: open-access@helmholtz.de
Sünje Dallmeier-Tiessen
phone: +49 (0) 471-4831-2118
Heinz Pampel
phone: +49 (0) 331- 288-1948
