Join our third cohort of a multidisciplinary community if you are a researcher with some experience in open science and would like to spend a year helping to implement open science practices in your community. As an Open Science Ambassador, you won’t be alone: The team and network at the Center for Open and Responsible Research will support you with your questions and projects and provide access to exciting and innovative training sessions and networking events. You’ll also be able to build on the experience of Open Science Ambassadors who have been active since August 2024 across fourteen departments, faculties, and a Cluster of Excellence.

In our understanding, Open Science ranges from transdisciplinary approaches to accessible and transparent research data, all the way to reusable and verifiable results. All of this requires discipline-specific and low-barrier solutions to be implemented in everyday research. Show researchers, students, and decision-makers at your institution how they can benefit from and participate in Open Science. Become part of a network of ambassadors who, together with us, put Open Science into practice!

In a letter of motivation (max. one page, in German or English), tell us: What was the initial inspiration that sparked your interest in Open Science and what would you like to achieve in your term as Ambassador at your institution? Send the letter and a current resume by May 29, 2026 to open-science@berlin-university-alliance.de. We also welcome applications from tandems or small teams and encourage team applications with partners from Berlin’s non-university research institutions. The program starts on August 1, 2026.

Initial information about the program can be found on our website. If you have any questions about the program, please feel free to contact us at open-science@berlin-university-alliance.de.

What will I do as an ambassador?

Train Your Peers! You will independently organize events on Open Science topics as well as regular Open Science consultation hours or similar formats.

Connect! You will become part of a BUA-wide network where you can exchange ideas with ambassadors from other faculties and departments about Open Science practices and their implementation, and actively try to recruit fellow advocates for this network at your institutions.

Share Your Experiences! You will report on your own activities and experiences in a format of your choice (e.g., a website, blog posts, public case studies).

What’s in it for me?

• You will participate in networking events and training sessions organized by the BUA’s Center for Open and Responsible Research based on your needs.
• You will receive in-kind funding of €4,000 to organize your own events (per faculty or department for one year).
• Within your faculty or department, you will receive formal recognition and visibility as an Open Science expert.
• As an ambassador, you will contribute to the implementation of the BUA’s Open Science Mission Statement.

What do we expect from you?

• You are conducting research as a doctoral candidate, postdoctoral researcher, or professor at a faculty, department, or Cluster of Excellence at a BUA partner institution with a contract valid until at least July 31, 2027.
• Ideally, you have some prior experience in the field of Open Science (e.g., Open Access publications, research data management, transdisciplinary research, open software, or open hardware).