We are pleased to call for proposals for the DOAJ Open Access Engagement Asia Award to support initiatives aimed at increasing awareness of open access publishing, DOAJ, and quality standards for ethical scholarly publishing across Asia.
Open access (OA) enables free and unrestricted access to scholarly research and supports wider dissemination of knowledge. By making research outputs openly available, open access improves research visibility, promotes collaboration, and supports equitable access to information. Across Asia, many universities, research institutions, and academic organizations are working to strengthen open access practices. However, there is still a need for greater awareness, capacity building, and institutional engagement to support responsible open access publishing and research dissemination. The DOAJ Open Access Engagement Asia Award aims to support initiatives that promote awareness of open access and DOAJ. The award also encourages better understanding of quality standards used by DOAJ. Through this initiative, selected institutions will receive small awards to organize activities that promote open access and DOAJ within their academic communities.
The award aims to:
- Increase awareness of open access publishing
- Increase awareness of DOAJ
- Promote responsible and ethical scholarly publishing practices
- Improve understanding of quality standards in open access publishing
Eligibility
Applications are invited from individuals or teams in association with organisations based in Asia, with applications from Bangladesh, Philippines, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand prioritised.
Applicants must have the support from their organisation, which must be one of the following:
- Universities and higher education institutions
- Research institutes
- Academic and research libraries
- Scholarly societies and academic networks
- Non-profit organizations working in scholarly communication
Collaborative proposals involving multiple institutions are encouraged.
Types of activities supported
Applicants may propose local activities that promote DOAJ and good practice in open access publishing. Examples include:
- Open access awareness programmes and seminars
- Training workshops on open access publishing and DOAJ
Resources available
Awardees will be able to use existing DOAJ’s templates, such as
- DOAJ slides and presentations
- DOAJ Gamified Workshop (printing needs to be included in the budget)
- DOAJ fliers (printing needs to be included in budget)
- DOAJ stickers (printing needs to be included in budget)
Grant amount
Selected projects will receive a small award of 300 Euros
The funding may be used for:
- Organising workshops, seminars, or training programmes
- Awareness and outreach activities, printing publicity materials
Funding should primarily support activities that promote open access and DOAJ awareness.
Institutional support
Applicants are encouraged to obtain additional financial or in-kind support from their institution.
Institutional contributions may include:
- Providing venues or meeting facilities
- Supporting local travel or accommodation for speakers
- Printing training or promotional materials
- Providing technical or administrative support
Or any other costs that exceed the awarded amount.
Additional funding from the applicant’s organisation must be approved by the organisation before submitting the application.
Award management
The award will be given to the institution, not to individuals.
The institution will be responsible for:
- Managing the funds according to institutional financial procedures
- Ensuring full use of the award funds
- Any expenses for activities related to the project that exceeds the €300 DOAJ Open Access Engagement Asia Award
Expected impact and deliverables
Projects should aim to:
- Increase awareness of open access among local researchers, librarians and students
- Increase awareness of DOAJ among local researchers, librarians and students
- Promote understanding of quality open access publishing standards
- Encourage local institutional engagement with open access initiatives
Award recipients will be expected to:
- Organise at least one local workshop, seminar, or awareness activity
- Share training materials or presentations developed during the activity. This will be published to DOAJ’s Zenodo Community under a CC BY SA license
- Write a short blog post about the activities
- Provide photos or communication materials from the local event
Selection criteria
Applications will be evaluated based on:
- Relevance to open access and DOAJ
- Clarity and feasibility of the proposed activities with budget allocations
- Potential impact on the local academic community
- Institutional support and commitment
- Opportunities for collaboration and knowledge sharing
Applications from Bangladesh, Philippines, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand will be prioritised.
Budget Guidelines
Applicants should provide a simple budget estimate explaining how the award funds will be used.
Example budget items may include:
| Budget Item | Example Use |
| Workshop organisation | Venue, materials, refreshments |
| Training materials | Printing guides, posters |
| Outreach activities | Communication and promotional materials |
| Resource persons | Honorarium for invited speakers |
| Travel | Local travel and accommodation |
Application Process
Applicants should submit via this Google Form before 15 June 2026
Successful applicants will be notified by 15 July 2026
Project implementation period: 16 July 2026 to 30 November 2026
Report back to us on completed activities: 15 December 2026
