In February 2026, several Coalition Publica members attended the 3rd Global Summit on Diamond Open Access in Bangalore, India. With participation of hundreds of delegates from around the world, this gathering confirmed that diamond open access is both a global movement and a reality firmly rooted in local contexts.
A global model driven by local communities
In the world of scholarly publishing, the word “diamond” evokes neither exclusivity nor rarity, but rather equity, accessibility, and diversity. This model, which is free for both readers and authors, is based on collective governance. Around the world, journals, platforms, and networks contribute to this ecosystem. In Latin America, diamond open access (OA) has been the standard for decades. In Canada, it accounts for a majority of scholarly journals. Rooted in local contexts, these initiatives contribute to the circulation of scientific knowledge both locally and globally.
Delivered by Rémi Quirion, Quebec’s Chief Scientist, the opening statement at the inaugural plenary session set the tone for the 3rd Global Summit on Diamond Open Access. In his address, he emphasized that the development of diamond OA depends as much on ambitious public policies as it does on the commitment of the scientific communities. He highlighted the social impact of science as well as the shared responsibility for the quality of open publications, “in a world where truth and falsehood coexist and sometimes blur.”
Infrastructures serving communities
Several members of Coalition Publica actively contributed to the summit’s discussions, illustrating the strength of collaborations between local and international stakeholders.
Tanja Niemann, Executive Director of Érudit, participated in the plenary session “Diamond OA Initiatives (Key Characteristics that Make it Work),” dedicated to the challenges and opportunities associated with dissemination platforms. In presenting the initiatives led by Érudit and Coalition Publica, she emphasized that “successful platforms or initiatives are not only those that offer high-performing tools, but those that genuinely support the communities that use them.”
Juan Pablo Alperin, professor at Simon Fraser University and Scientific Director of the Public Knowledge Project (PKP), presented “More Than a Platform: How PKP Supports Journals, Provides Services, and Serves as Infrastructure.” He highlighted PKP’s foundational role in the global ecosystem, particularly through Open Journal Systems, which is used by more than 55,000 journals worldwide. He also announced the upcoming integration of these journals into the OpenAlex database, a significant step forward for the visibility of diamond OA publications.
Mark Huskisson, Strategic Business Development Advisor at PKP, emphasized the growing maturity of the movement: discussions are moving beyond “why diamond”, to how diamond OA can be implemented sustainably in our local contexts as part of the larger, interconnected global scholarly communications system. “The very fact that the summit was held in Bengaluru and organised by a coalition of Indian research institutions, science academies, and university bodies was itself a statement of India’s institutional commitment.,” he noted. For more information, an interview with Mark is available on the PKP website.
The Quebec delegation also included Francis Gingras, Executive Director of the Réseau Circé, a panelist at the plenary session “Building, Supporting, and Sustaining Diamond OA Infrastructure,” as well as Mylène Deschênes, Director of Ethics and Legal Affairs at the Fonds de recherche du Québec, who participated in the plenary session “Responsible Research Assessment Policies as Pathway to Diamond OA”.
What’s next?
The Bangalore Summit, which builds on momentum established in Toluca (2023) and Cape Town (2024), provided a wealth of resources to further enrich the discussions. You can watch the sessions on the YouTube channel of the Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, one of the co-organizing institutions. Some presentations and posters are also available for download, and there’s even a collection of comic strips!
In Canada, recent policy and funding developments have created a uniquely exciting landscape for community-based publishing. The time has now come to rally around a shared vision of diamond OA so that we can collectively benefit from these opportunities. With this aim, we are excited to convene a national conversation at Advancing Diamond / Vers l’horizon diamant, bringing together researchers, librarians, journals, publishers, funding agencies and infrastructure providers, in Montreal on April 15 and 16, 2026.
The next Global Summit on Diamond Open Access will be held in Bali, Indonesia, in 2027.
