Open Science

We stand for openness in science and education

TIB champions unrestricted access to scientific knowledge. We are convinced that publicly funded research results and educational resources must be transparent, free and digitally available to all. Our efforts enable us to help shape the science policy debate and the change that has begun in science and education towards greater transparency and openness.

Open access

TIB is actively engaged in promoting open access – free access to scientific and scholarly publications. We provide support to authors, publishers and editors, and develop services and software as part of our work in the international open access community.


Open data and FAIR data

TIB is actively engaged in promoting a culture of open data. In this context, we refer to the Open Knowledge Foundation’s definition of “open data” and adhere to the FAIR principles for research data. To us, this means that we embrace, convey and support open data processes.


Open research and citizen science

TIB contributes to the digital opening of science and culture. It helps communities to adopt new methods and tools into scientific practice.


Open research information

TIB promotes scientific discourse and a commons of open research information by ensuring that the metadata describing scientific output – such as journal articles, books, journals, videos, software and research data – can be reused easily and freely.


Open education

Open educational resources (OER) give educators the opportunity to share their results with each other, and offer learners open access to education. TIB promotes and supports this exchange on higher education teaching and learning.


  • twillo is the portal for publishing, finding and sharing OER in university teaching in Lower Saxony.
  • Our OER search index OERSI connects nationally and internationally distributed OER repositories of federal state initiatives and institutions.
  • The digital guide on “Sharing educational resources” helps educators to develop and provide OER.
  • TIB’s AV-Portal is our platform for open videos in science and education.

Open source

When developing new services and products, TIB increasingly values the use of open source software and the provision of its in-house developments under open licences on the GitHub and GitLab platforms.
Our goal is also to gradually convert previous commercial or proprietary software solutions into open solutions, and to publicly develop them. When using open source frameworks, we endeavour to plan and develop adaptations, extensions and improvements in consultation with the community, and to incorporate them into existing products.


  • TIB’s open source projects on GitHub
  • TIB’s open source projects on GitLab

TIB is keen to embed the concept of openness even more firmly, including in areas beyond traditional open science topics. TIB was awarded the Open Library Badge 2020 for its commitment to greater openness in science and society.

Open science news from TIB

Data Steward get-together presented

Employees of the “Joint Lab Future Libraries & Research Data” present at the FDM Lower Saxony kick-off exchange opportunity for data stewards

[Translate to Englisch:]
TIB-PITCH with Matti Stöhr

During our lift ride Matti Stöhr introduces the TIB AV-Portal, the video portal for scientific films

Our year 2023 – the TIB Report is online

A review of 2023 from the TIB’s perspective and what made the year special for us can be found online in the TIB Report 2023

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