Open Access Week focuses on ownership of knowledge
The theme of this year’s Open Access Week is “Who Owns Our Knowledge?”. It challenges us to reflect on how the scientific community can strengthen its ownership of the knowledge it creates during times of transformation. The theme also invites us to consider who has access to education and research, how information is created and shared, where it originates, and whose voices are valued.
In recent years, there has been a growing call to shift control of information from commercial entities back to the communities. Community-driven models—such as Diamond Open Access, which means open access publishing without article or book processing charges—have gained visibility, supported for example by EU-funded initiatives. Some universities have discontinued subscriptions to commercial databases, opting out of university rankings and even entrance examinations. Whether others will follow remains to be seen; for many, stepping away from familiar competitive frameworks may still feel like too great a risk.
Background
International Open Access Week aims to raise awareness about the benefits of open access publishing, promote best practices, and engage new audiences to help make open access the “new normal” in science. The week was initiated by SPARC (the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition), an international consortium of academic libraries. Throughout the week, a wide range of conferences and webinars will take place, many of which are open to the public.
The library's open science trainings and info sessions during Open Access Week
Mon 20.10.2025 Research Council of Finland and Plan S compliant publication channels
Tue 21.10.2025 Tietoisku: Kansallisella tutkijan profiililla osaaminen näkyväksi! (in Finnish)
Thu 23.10.2025 TUNICRIS briefing
