Development of the OSA Program

The OSA Program is a collaborative project between the Open Science Working Group of the PhDnet and the Max Planck Digital Library (MPDL).

In 2014, the first Open Access Ambassadors (OAA) meeting developed the idea to train members from all Max Planck Institutes in the principles of Open Access (OA). They would become OA representatives at their Institutes and spread the message to their colleagues. The OAA program provided the ambassadors with lectures and workshops, highlighted the importance of OA, and hosted the exchange of perspectives between ECR and experienced researchers. The program continued through online communication and a second meeting in 2019. By then, the number of ambassadors grew to over 80 researchers from all three sections of the Society.

The Ambassadors shared their concerns regarding the impact of OA in the careers, the lack of support in some institutes, and the pressure to publish in high impact journals – independent of their open status. They also reported disparity in OA information between institutes, as some are very active in Open Science topics or a general lack of interest.

After a short pause during the global pandemic, the program was relaunched in 2021 as the Open Science Ambassadors Program (OSAP), with a wider focus on all types of Open Science initiatives. Both in 2021 and 2022, researchers shared their experiences with open access, open data, preregistration and alternatives to the current peer-review publishing standards. Today, the program includes an annual in person meeting to strengthen the Open Science community within the MPG and to create a network of exchange. Additional online meetings are organised throughout the year to provide a platform for discussion or train certain Open Science skills.

The Open Science Ambassadors also have a say in the direction of science within the Society, and had a seat at the Max Planck Open Science Panel initiated by former vice-president Ulman Lindenberger in 2023. 

Goals of the Open Science Ambassadors Program

The specific objectives of OSA Program are: 

• To train researchers from the Max Planck Society on Open Science in order to share and distribute knowledge throughout and beyond the MPG. 
• To promote the integration of principles of openness and transparency into the standard research workflow of early career researchers. 
• To promote real changes and a sustainable transition towards open science in the long term. 

PhDnet Open Science Working Group

The Open Science working group aims towards making science in the Max Planck Society more accessible and transparent. To pursue this they work together with early career researchers, senior researchers and administrative staff locally at the institutes and more globally in the whole MPG.