Call for Proposals – 5th Open Science Festival | 18 and 19 March 2027 | University of Bamberg

Under the motto Meet. Share. Inspire. Care., the Open Science Festival brings together researchers, early-career scientists, students, citizen scientists, and staff from service and research institutions – to exchange ideas, network, and learn from one another. 

Make the festival your festival – with contributions covering all facets of Open Science, particularly these key themes:

Artificial intelligence, global uncertainty, and the question: How does Open Science remain relevant?

AI is changing how knowledge is generated and communicated – and global uncertainty (political, economic, and environmental risks, as well as aspects of research security) calls the relevance of Open Science into question. How can Open Science help strengthen trust in science and keep findings accessible and meaningful?

Practical approaches, concrete experiences, and new ideas for an open science culture.

Open Science is not an abstract ideal; it happens in the everyday lives of researchers and educators. Share your experiences, projects, and ideas: What works, what doesn’t, and what can others learn from them?

From Barcelona to Open Metadata to Open Peer Review – how service organizations are putting Open Science into practice.

Libraries, data centers, centers for digital teaching (or DigiLabs), and other service organizations form the backbone of open science. How can (shared) infrastructures, standards, and new initiatives be implemented in practice?

Submissions are accepted for the following formats: Lightning Talks, workshops, posters, and tool and project showcases. In addition, a mentoring program called “Share & Connect” is planned.

Proposals must be submitted via ConfTool, listing all authors, including their affiliations: https://www.conftool.com/osfestival2027.

Please include an abstract (approx. 300 words) and brief biographical details of the contributors. Please specify which thematic area your contribution falls under.

We ask all contributors to register in the usual way and to pay the participation fees when registering. Registration is expected to open in November.

The official language of the Open Science Festival 2027 is German. Contributions in English are also very welcome.

• Deadline for Lightning Talks and workshops: October 15, 2026
• Deadline for posters and the tool marketplace/project showcases: December 15, 2026

Lightning Talks

You may submit proposals for 5-minute short presentations. Wherever possible, the program committee will organize selected submissions into thematically aligned, moderated sessions that allow ample time for discussion.

Please submit an abstract of approximately 300 words. Up to two presenters may be listed per presentation; additional contributors can be acknowledged in the abstract and/or the presentation itself. If your submission is related to others—or if you would like it to be included in a joint session—please note this in the remarks on your contribution.

We aim to make as many Lightning Talks as possible available on Zenodo after the festival under an open licence (Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International, CC BY 4.0).

Workshops

You may submit proposals for practice-oriented workshops lasting 90 minutes that focus on the collaborative, structured development of outcomes. Please submit an abstract of approximately 300 words describing the topic and its connection to the festival theme, and including details on the following points:

• Target audience
• Learning objectives or intended outcomes
• Workshop structure and methods
• Tools used
• Maximum number of participants

Workshops are not lecture panels; an interactive format is required. Up to five organizers may be listed.

Workshop Pitches
We ask workshop presenters to briefly present their findings in a separate session (3–5 minutes).

Poster and Poster-Pitches

Posters are full-fledged conference presentations that showcase current research findings or projects related to Open Science. The poster session, in particular, gives you the opportunity to present your poster directly and engage in conversation with participants.

Please note the following:

• Please submit the final version of your poster as a PDF file, along with an accompanying abstract, at https://www.conftool.com/osfestival2027.
• Include the license name and a link to the full license text on the poster, and clarify any necessary usage rights in advance. We recommend including the ORCID IDs of all authors.
• Once your poster has been accepted, please bring a printed copy in A0 format.
• For the poster pitch in the (partial) plenary session, please prepare a brief presentation (approx. 1 minute) about your poster.

We would be delighted if you could publish your poster on the Open Science Festival’s Zenodo community after the festival. You will receive further information on this in due course.

Tool marketplace and project showcases

The tool marketplace provides a space for live demonstrations of non-commercial software applications (preferably open source) related to Open Science, as well as for the presentation of Open Science projects.

The aim is to facilitate direct exchange with participants regarding potential applications, project experiences, and feedback.

Submissions should include an abstract of approximately 300 words with a link to the tool and/or the associated project, along with the following details:

Description of the tool or project

• Link to a functional version of the application (if available)
• Software license
• Relationship of the submitter(s) to the software or project being presented
• Specific technical requirements for the presentation

Please bring your own laptop for the presentation.

Mentoring Program „Share & Connect“

The programme committee is looking forward to welcoming mentors and mentees who are willing to share their challenges and ideas in the field of open science with one another over the course of a year, and to develop together in the process.

To take part, please register as a mentor or mentee when signing up for the festival. There is no limit on the number of participants.

The “Share & Connect” kick-off workshop will take place during the festival.