TÜBİTAK ULAKBİM shared Turkey's open science vision and open access infrastructures with international participants at the international side event titled “Diamond Open Access as a Foundation for Research Sovereignty and Trust in Science” held as part of the Global Research Council (GRC) 2026 Annual Meeting in Bangkok, Thailand. At the event, the success of publicly supported publishing since the establishment of TÜBİTAK Academic Journals, which celebrated its 50th anniversary this year, and DergiPark's diamond open access model were introduced.
Open Science and Sustainable Research Policies Highlighted at GRC 2026
The GRC 2026 Annual Meeting, held in Bangkok between 18-22 May 2026, brought together the world's leading research funding organizations. Co-hosted by Thailand Science Research and Innovation (TSRI) on behalf of Thailand and Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) on behalf of Canada, the meeting focused on open science and research policies for sustainable communities.
Diamond Open Access Model was Discussed from the Perspective of Scientific Trust and Sovereignty
In the side event organized by Science Europe and coordinated by Dr. Lidia Borrell-Damián (Secretary General, Science Europe) and Bregt Saenen, the importance of sustainable, inclusive and community-based models in open access publishing for scientific sovereignty and reliable research ecosystems was discussed. The event was moderated by Dr. Lidia Borrell-Damián and Mehmet Mirat Satoğlu, Director of TÜBİTAK ULAKBİM, took part as a speaker.
UNESCO's Zeynep Varoğlu (Senior Programme Specialist) delivered the online keynote speech at the event, which was attended by Eurico Wongo Gungula on behalf of the Angola UNESCO Open Science Focal Point, Claire Giry, Head of the French National Research Agency (ANR), Agus Haryono, representative of the Indonesian National Agency for Research and Innovation (BRIN), Nokuthula Mchunu from the National Research Foundation (NRF) of South Africa, Leslie Chan from the Scarborough Campus of the University of Toronto, Yongyuth Yuthavong, former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and Technology of Thailand on behalf of Thailand Science Research and Innovation (TSRI), and representatives from the Ethiopian Ministry of Innovation and Technology participated.
Diamond Open Access Offers an Inclusive Model for Access to Scientific Knowledge
In the evaluations made, it was emphasized that the Diamond Open Access model offers an inclusive approach that supports access to scientific knowledge without creating financial barriers for authors and readers, strengthening multilingualism and local research ecosystems. It was stated that this model, which has gained momentum on a global scale in recent years, is of strategic importance for the sustainability of open science in line with the UNESCO Open Science Recommendation and Diamond Open Access Action Plan.
Mehmet Mirat Satoğlu: “Inclusive and Public Interest-Oriented Models are Critical”
In his speech, TUBITAK ULAKBIM Director Mehmet Mirat Satoğlu drew attention to the national infrastructures developed in line with Turkey's open science vision. Satoğlu stated that TÜBİTAK Academic Journals have been published for 50 years with the understanding of publicly supported publishing since the day it started its publication life, and emphasized that it has been in the Diamond Open Access model since the transition to electronic publishing. He also shared with the international participants the sustainable and inclusive academic publishing ecosystem created by DergiPark within the scope of the diamond open access model. He underlined that publishing models that prioritize public interest, do not create costs and are based on inclusiveness play a critical role in strengthening research ecosystems.
Cooperation Talks in the Field of Open Science and Publishing
Following the event, Agus Haryono, representative of the Indonesian National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), and Yongyuth Yuthavong, former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and Technology of Thailand, and Mehmet Mirat Satoğlu, Director of TÜBİTAK ULAKBİM, exchanged views on open science infrastructures, open access publishing and possible areas of cooperation.
TÜBİTAK ULAKBİM continues to represent Turkey on international platforms through its national open science infrastructures and open access activities, contributing to global collaborations in the field of open science and supporting the development of scientific knowledge in a more accessible, reliable and sustainable structure.
