Press

• New Funding Agreement between the Max Planck Digital Library and the publisher Mohr Siebeck: Funding of Open Access monographs and edited volumes

  Munich, Tübingen, July 10th, 2024

  The Max Planck Digital Library has concluded a groundbreaking agreement with the renowned publisher Mohr Siebeck to ensure support for Open Access publications for scientists at the Max Planck Institutes. Under this agreement, the MPDL will cover the additional costs incurred by publishing in Open Access for monographs and edited volumes in which researchers from the Max Planck Society and its institutes are involved.  

  This cooperation has been in force since May 31, 2024, has a term of three years and applies to all projects that are accepted for publication by the publisher within the term. It makes an important contribution to the free accessibility of scientific findings, which significantly improves the visibility and exchange of research results. 

  Applications for funding can be submitted directly to the publisher Mohr Siebeck. The publisher then forwards the applications to the MPDL for review. This ensures that the process runs as smoothly and efficiently as possible for the researchers. 

  Further information and details on how to apply can be obtained directly from the publisher Mohr Siebeck. 

  Ádám Dér, Head of the Scientific Information Provision at the Max Planck Digital Library, remarks: “We are thrilled with the constructive and forward-thinking partnership with Mohr Siebeck in expanding our support for Max Planck researchers working in the humanities and social sciences. This new agreement not only ensures our authors’ monograph works will enjoy the enhanced visibility and reach offered by open access, but also underscores the importance of developing new models for long-form scholarship.” 

  László Simon-Nanko, Head of Sales and Customer Service at Mohr Siebeck, emphasizes: “With this initiative, Mohr Siebeck underlines its commitment to Open Access and to making scholarly works freely and widely available. We look forward to a successful cooperation with the MPDL and are convinced that this agreement will provide a positive impetus for the scientific community.” 

  
  Contact 

  For the Max Planck Digital Library: 
  Tina Planck 
  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

  For Mohr Siebeck: 
  László Simon-Nanko 
  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

• Sixth bloxberg Summit: research institutions in Belgrade for transparent, efficient, and secure international collaboration in science

  Munich/Belgrade, 30.10.2023: On 26-27 October, the members of the bloxberg Association for the Advancement of Science and Blockchain e.V. met in Belgrade for the sixth time. During the summit, Max Planck Society (MPG) was appointed Chair of the Board of the Association. Discussions included the expansion of the world's largest proof-of-authority network, operated exclusively by research institutions. The bloxberg technology was developed under the leadership of the Munich Max Planck Digital Library (MPDL) and was launched in 2019 together with ten other international universities. Today, bloxberg is one of the most advanced use cases for blockchain technology and a pioneer for a decentralized global infrastructure in science.

  On 26 October, the bloxberg members met at the Faculty of Organizational Sciences at the University of Belgrade, initially in closed session. The participants reflected on a successful first year after transitioning from a consortium to an association in 2022 with about 50 members. Last year, more than 30 integrations and applications were registered. In total, more than 18,000 research objects (NFTs) have been certified via the blockchain.

  Max Planck Society takes over as Chair of bloxberg Association
  Another central item on the agenda was the election of the chair, which was held by the University of Nicosia last year and will now pass to the Max Planck Society. Representing MPG is Dr Sandra Vengadasalam (MPDL), who takes up the role with much enthusiasm for the potential bloxberg holds: "Together we will push the boundaries of blockchain technology and its applications to shape the future of the scientific world. With the support of our international community, we will unlock new opportunities, foster interdisciplinary research and have a global impact."

  For the first time the summit was also open to the public on the second day. German Ambassador Anke Konrad opened the second half of the meeting. In her speech, she emphasized the positive cooperation between Germany and Serbia in transforming towards digitization in both economy and science. In this context, Konrad praised the bloxberg network as a "central contribution to joint research across national borders and a lighthouse project for the future of networked science".

  bloxberg - Significant Innovation in Science
  The overarching mission of the bloxberg project also played an important role in the discussion: enabling society as a whole to secure data with the reputational proof of research organizations worldwide; a central task that universities and research institutions around the world have always been committed to. The application fields of bloxberg have not yet been fully explored and there remain many needs for a transparent and secure online system based on blockchain in science. These include proof of the authenticity of data, secure protection of intellectual property rights, exchange of research results, peer reviewing or the dissemination of publications.

  Dr. Uroš Šošević from the Faculty of Organizational Sciences at the University of Belgrade, member of the bloxberg Senate and on-site organizer emphasizes the purpose of the new blockchain technology: "We bring together experts and visionaries from science and blockchain to explore the potential of decentralized science. Together we want to redefine research and the exchange of knowledge."

   

  About bloxberg
  bloxberg is the most important blockchain project in science. It was founded in 2019 by MPDL, looking for a way to store research results and make them available to other researchers. In this sense, bloxberg is a decentralized register in which results can be stored in a tamper-proof way with a time stamp and an identifier.
  bloxberg is based on the Ethereum Blockchain. However, it makes use of a different consensus mechanism: instead of "Proof of Stake" used by Ethereum since 2022, bloxberg validates blocks through "Proof of Authority". Each node is operated by one member. All members of the association are research institutions and are known in the network.  Currently, bloxberg has 44 nodes. It is an international project with participating institutions from all over the world.

  About the Max Planck Digital Library (MPDL)
  The Max Planck Digital Library (MPDL) is a central institution of the Max Planck Society for the Advancement of Science (MPG) and supports all researchers of the MPG with expert digital services. As Europe's largest digital library, it provides easy access to data, scientific literature, commercial software licenses, scientific communication tools and services, and research-relevant software applications. The MPDL has a transformative impact on commercial product development and the scientific publishing market for the benefit of the MPG and science overall.

   

   

  Press contact:

  Una Sokcevic
  bloxberg / Max Planck Digital Library (MPDL)
  Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

• MARK: Max Planck Digital Library zieht als größte digitale Bibliothek Europas nach München Laim

  München - 25. Mai 2023 | MARK: Max Planck Digital Library zieht als größte digitale Bibliothek Europas nach München Laim 
  

  MARK: Die Max Planck Digital Library (MPDL), eine zentrale Institution der Max-Planck-Gesellschaft und größte digitale Bibliothek Europas, wird neuer Mieter der Gewerbeimmobilie MARK. Bekannt als einer der 75 Zukunftsorte der Wissenschaft, ist die MPDL eine besondere Bereicherung für den 25. Stadtteil. Mit der MPDL wird auch die MPDL Services (MPDLS), eine gemeinnützige GmbH zur Förderung von Open Access im deutschen Wissenschaftssystem, ab dem dritten Quartal 2023 in das Gebäude einziehen. Beide Gesellschaften wurden bei der Anmietung exklusiv von JLL betreut. Für den Eigentümer war Knight Frank als Leadmakler beratend tätig.

   

  

  (Quelle: Knight Frank München)

   
  

  Digitalisierung in der Wissenschaft vorantreiben
  

  Derzeit ist die MPDL noch in der Maxvorstadt in der Amalienstraße beheimatet. Der Umzug ins MARK, in der Landsberger Straße 346, auf insgesamt zwei Etagen und einer Gewerbefläche von rund 5.000 m² wird im dritten Quartal 2023 stattfinden. Das Ensemble, das in Q1 2023 fertiggestellt wurde, umfasst ca. 56.000 m² Gesamtfläche und zeigt eine unverwechselbare Architektur, die dem Standort identitätsstiftende Kontur verleiht. Gelegen an der S-Bahn-Stammstrecke Laim und deutlich sichtbar von Schiene und Straße, überzeugt das MARK mit seiner gefalteten Fassadenstruktur. Spannungsreiche Blickachsen, Räume mit viel Tageslicht und drei begrünte Innenhöfe sind Merkmale der auffallend hohen Aufenthaltsqualität. „Als weit über die Max-Planck-Gesellschaft hinaus, national und international wirkender Dienstleister für die Wissenschaft freuen wir uns, ein zeitgemäßes Gebäude an einem zukunftsweisenden Standort wie München Laim gefunden zu haben“, sagt Dr. Frank Sander, Leiter der MPDL, „Gerade im Wissenschaftskontext ist der digitale Faktor mitentscheidend über Forschungserfolg. Wie überall steigt auch im akademischen Bereich der Umfang der benötigten digitalen Lösungen immer weiter“. Christian Agi, Geschäftsführer der MPDLS, ergänzt: „Gleichermaßen steigt auch der Bedarf an digitalem Zugang zu wissenschaftlicher Literatur und zu Open Access Publikationsmöglichkeiten, der von der MPDLS für Wissenschaftseinrichtungen deutschlandweit organisiert wird.“

  Hierfür bietet das MARK beste Voraussetzungen, mit zeitgemäßen Büros, cleveren Konzepten wie Co-Working, Flex-Space und Conference-Zonen, modernster technischer Ausstattung sowie ausgeklügelten Kommunikationszonen, in denen Mitarbeitende sich kreativ austauschen und effektiv zusammenarbeiten können. Zugleich werden dort die Kompetenzen beider Organisationen an einem Standort gebündelt. Das MARK ist ein nachhaltiges Bürogebäude mit einem innovativen und zukunftsorientierten Mobilitätskonzept. Es gibt eine Tiefgarage mit Elektroladestationen und großzügigen Fahrradstellplätzen mit Duschen und Umkleideräumen im Gebäude. Auch in Sachen ESG setzt das MARK ein Zeichen und erfüllt die aktuellen Nachhaltigkeitskriterien, wie die Zertifizierungen Wiredscore Platin und LEED Gold bestätigen.

  Bei der Planung und Umsetzung der im Inneren vorgesehenen Lösungen wird die MPDL von Löchle & Partner, einem Münchner Unternehmen, das seit 1987 bekannt für seine funktionalen, bedarfsgerechten und durchdachten Büro- und Objekteinrichtungen ist sowie dem Innenarchitekturbüro Daniela Weber INTERIOR DESIGN unterstützt. Das Gebäude selbst wurde vom Architekturbüro KSP Engel GmbH entwickelt.

   

  Der Münchner Westen blüht weiter auf
  

  Knight Frank München berät als Leadmakler den Eigentümer bei der Vermarktung der Büroflächen dieses innovativen Objektes im Münchner Westen. Viktoria Reiser, Director Agency Knight Frank München kommentiert: „Wir sind stolz darauf, dass wir mit dem MARK eine Bürofläche bieten können, die den hohen Ansprüchen der Max Planck Digital Library an Qualität und Ausstattung entspricht. Mit dem Zuzug der größten digitalen Bibliothek Europas nach Laim blüht der Münchner Westen weiter auf. In Zusammenarbeit mit dem zukünftigen Mieter haben wir eine moderne und komfortable Arbeitsumgebung geschaffen, die den individuellen Bedürfnissen der MPDL sowie seiner Mitarbeiterinnen und Mitarbeiter entspricht. Willkommen in unserer MARK-Community!“

  Der Umzug der MPDL und der MPDLS, die hierfür vom Immobiliendienstleister JLL exklusiv beraten wurden, ist ein weiterer Baustein, Münchens 25. Stadtbezirk zu beleben. Mit der Präsenz der MPDL wird Laim durch einen der Leuchttürme für digitale Transformation in der Wissenschaft ergänzt und bildet somit einen Grundstein für den Ausbau einer nachhaltigen, wissenschaftlichen Nutzerstruktur des Viertels.

   

  Über die Max Planck Digital Library (MPDL)

  Die Max Planck Digital Library (MPDL) ist eine zentrale Institution der Max-Planck-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Wissenschaften e.V. (MPG) und unterstützt alle Forscherinnen und Forscher der MPG mit fachkundigen digitalen Services. Dadurch bietet sie als größte digitale Bibliothek Europas einen einfachen Zugang zu Daten, wissenschaftlicher Literatur, kommerziellen Softwarelizenzen, wissenschaftlichen Kommunikationswerkzeugen und -services sowie forschungsrelevanten Softwareanwendungen. Die MPDL hat einen transformativen Einfluss auf die kommerzielle Produktentwicklung und den wissenschaftlichen Publikationsmarkt zum Nutzen der MPG und der Wissenschaft als Ganzes.

   

  Über die MPDLS

  Die MPDL Services GmbH (MPDLS) wird von den deutschen Wissenschaftsorganisationen gemeinsam getragen und ist bei der Max Planck Digital Library angesiedelt. Für über 900 deutsche Wissenschaftseinrichtungen fungiert die gGmbH als Vertragspartnerin gegenüber den größten Wissenschaftsverlagen im Rahmen der deutschlandweiten DEAL-Verträge und organisiert in diesem Zusammenhang den Zugang zu wissenschaftlicher Literatur sowie zu Publikationsdienstleistungen nach dem Open Access-Prinzip.

   

  Pressekontakt
  Una Sokcevic
  Max Planck Digital Library (MPDL)
  Telefon +49 89 909311-254
  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. | mpdl.mpg.de

   

  Über Knight Frank

  Knight Frank LLP, London, ist eine der weltweit führenden unabhängigen Immobilienberatungsgesellschaften, mit über 20.000 Mitarbeitern in 488 Büros und 57 Märkten. Der Hauptsitz ist in London. In Deutschland sind wir an den Standorten in Berlin, Frankfurt und München vertreten. Unsere hoch spezialisierten Mitarbeiter wenden ihr Marktwissen und die Fachkompetenz an, um aus Ihren Anforderungen Ideen und konkrete Lösungsansätze zu entwickeln und auch umzusetzen. Dabei verfolgen wir immer den Anspruch den maximalen Nutzen für unsere Kunden zu erreichen – sei es durch das richtige Objekt, die richtige Strategie oder die innovative Umsetzung.

  Pressekontakt:
  Viola Lubczyk
  Knight Frank GmbH & Co. KG
  Telefon +40 170 8036530 
  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. | knightfrank.de

• The bloxberg Blockchain will Power OpenSci.net, a Revolutionary Publication Marketplace

  Munich | Bremen - April 17, 2023 - the bloxberg Blockchain will Power OpenSci.net, a Revolutionary Publication Marketplace

  Max Planck Digital Library (MPDL), the leading institution in digital scientific information, is proud to announce its partnership with the project OpenSci.net, an innovative open-access publication marketplace for scientific content that connects researchers, publishers, and readers through a secure and transparent DLT-based platform. The bloxberg blockchain, developed by MPDL, will serve as the underlying distributed ledger for OpenSci.net, providing a decentralized and tamper-proof system for managing the publication process.

  As part of its mission, MPDL has been exploring the potential of blockchain technology in scientific communication, and the bloxberg blockchain is a testament to its success in this field. Through its partnership with OpenSci.net, MPDL aims to further promote the use of blockchain technology in scientific publishing and to contribute to the development of a more open, transparent, and decentralized system of scholarly communication.

  OpenSci.net aims to become a next-generation preprint server, allowing researchers to publish their preliminary articles quickly while keeping control over the further maturation of their content. The platform's unique architecture will ensure that article copyrights are secured on bloxberg, and it allows authors to induce a fast peer-review and editorial process driven by AI-driven algorithms before a journal choice is made. Scientific journals will have access to reviewed content and can license it by rewarding authors and reviewers. All participants will highly benefit from a significant reduction of the unsustainable high rejection rates of the current publication economy.

  Using the highly scalable bloxberg blockchain, OpenSci.net will manage a range of publication-related activities, including peer review, author authentication, and transparent licence transfer and reward processing. Additionally, readers can support their favourite authors and publications through a unique micropayment system.

  The permissioned bloxberg blockchain, with its strong focus on academic applications and its unique proof-of-authority (PoA) consensus mechanism, will provide a secure, decentralized, and tamper-proof system for managing the publication process on OpenSci. This will strengthen transparency and accountability while giving authors and readers greater control over the publishing process.

  Through their collaboration, OpenSci.net and bloxberg aim to make the benefits of blockchain technology accessible to the scientific community and develop new standards in scientific publishing services. Both organizations are convinced that their partnership can make an important contribution to promoting open science. They also believe they can create a new paradigm for scientific publishing that is fairer, more transparent, and more efficient.

  "We're thrilled to partner with OpenSci.net to create a new era of transparency and accessibility in scientific publishing," said Friederike Kleinfercher, deputy manager of the MPDL and one of the bloxberg blockchain initiators. "We were particularly pleased that OpenSci chose bloxberg after evaluating various blockchains. This confirms our belief that science and scientific applications require a dedicated blockchain for science, which we provide with bloxberg.”

  "We believe that the future of scientific publishing lies in open and decentralized systems that empower researchers and readers, while also incorporating scientific publishers as proven quality scouts," said Prof. Dr. Boris J. Nachtsheim, co-founder of OpenSci.net. "By partnering with the bloxberg blockchain, we can create a revolutionary platform that benefits everyone involved in the scientific publication process." 

  OpenSci.net is dedicated to creating a fair, accessible, and decentralized system for scientific publishing that connects researchers, publishers, and readers through an open and transparent platform.

   

  About the Max Planck Society

  The Max Planck Society conducts basic research in the natural sciences, life science, and humanities. The 86 Max Planck Institutes and 17 Max Planck Centers internationally focus on innovative research fields and address forward-looking scientific questions. The Max Planck Digital Library (MPDL) is a central unit of the Max Planck Society that supports scientists with a broad portfolio of services in the fields of information provision, publication support, and research data management. MPDL is the initiator of the bloxberg blockchain and represents the Max Planck Society within the consortium.

  For more information visit Max Planck Society and Max Planck Digital Library

  Press contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

   

  About OpenSci.net

  Under the guidance of Prof. Boris J. Nachtsheim at the University of Bremen, OpenSci.net unites a diverse array of stakeholders, including universities, state libraries, blockchain enthusiasts, and web3 companies, in pursuit of a shared vision: transforming the scientific publishing field into a rewarding, blockchain-secured open access ecosystem. Leveraging distributed ledger technology, OpenSci.net not only ensures robust copyright protection but also cultivates a transparent and collaborative atmosphere for researchers, evaluators, and authors alike. With the involvement of esteemed publishers and journals as quality scouts, OpenSci.net guarantees that scientific achievements are meticulously assessed and duly acknowledged based on their merits. 

  For more information visit OpenSci.net

  Contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.