OPENKB

In recent decades, the governance of national research systems has increasingly relied on empirical data—particularly bibliometrics—to inform decision-making and policy development. In 2008, Germany established the Competence Center for Bibliometrics (KB) to strengthen bibliometric expertise through proprietary data sources and to foster collaboration among various research groups. However, high licensing costs and restrictive data access conditions have limited the reach and flexibility of the KB, thereby undermining its impact. The OPENKB project aims to overcome these constraints by transitioning from proprietary to newly emerging open bibliometric data. Shifting toward open data will enhance participation of German research institutions in the KB and its data infrastructure, broaden the application of bibliometrics across the German research landscape, and improve data analytical capabilities, thus opening up new analytical perspectives on the German research system. To this end, the KB will make its rigorously reviewed and curated data publicly accessible, thereby not only adopting open bibliometric data but also actively contributing to the transformation toward open data infrastructures. The sub-project at the SUB Göttingen supports this transition by establishing a Data Stewardship framework for Open Research Information. It is tasked with supporting communities in research management and libraries in engaging with open bibliometric data through coparticipatory formats and data analyses (e.g., in the context of funding agencies or Open Science). Simultaneously, the Data Stewardship informs the KB’s requirements management. A further responsibility of the sub-project is to coordinate the development of competencies in responsible and ethical use of bibliometrics in research and practice.