Mission 

The Max Planck Decentralized Science Initiative – DeSci Connect is dedicated to reshape the future of science by integrating Web3 paradigms into the scientific realm.

By harnessing the power of blockchain technology, including cryptographic tokens (such as NFTs), decentralized governance, and self-sovereignty, Decentralized Science (DeSci) is transforming the landscape of scientific research and collaboration. It promotes democracy through decentralized governance structures, allowing for more democratic decision-making processes in scientific communities.Blockchain technology can ensure transparent and secure data sharing and research findings, enhancing collaboration and trust. DeSci encourages the development of innovative tools and nurtures a mindset shift towards open, collaborative, and equitable research practices.

The Max Planck Decentralized Science Initiatives ultimate goal is to create a more inclusive, transparent, and efficient scientific ecosystem for all.

Initiative

In a rapidly evolving landscape, key players in science — researchers, publishers, funders, and investors — are exploring the DeSci movement. Whereas, traditional research organizations face the risk of being left behind.

The Max Planck Decentralized Science Initiative is poised to bridge this gap by serving as a bidirectional information flow and influence conduit.

On one hand, the initiative will actively engage with the DeSci movement to understand and shape its impact on the scientific community. We aim to influence and guide the movement's trajectory by staying at the forefront of decentralized science developments.On the other hand, we will provide strategic advice to MPG management and researchers, highlighting potential new DeSci tools and methodologies that could enhance their scientific outcomes. By integrating these innovative approaches, we aim to empower researchers to achieve greater transparency, collaboration, and efficiency in their work.

Through this dual approach, the Max Planck Decentralized Science Initiative seeks to ensure that the Max Planck Society remains a leader in scientific innovation and continues to thrive in the decentralized science era.

Activities

Collaborations

Investigate new concepts of DeSci within, and outside the MPG: like the interlink with MPG Open Science activities and collaborating on blockchain driven micropublishing with the University College London.

• Open Science: In the context of Decentralized Science, Open Science plays a crucial role in fostering transparency, accessibility, and collaboration. By integrating Open Science principles, we aim to break down barriers to knowledge sharing, allowing researchers to freely access and contribute to scientific data and findings. This approach not only democratizes access to information but also enhances the reproducibility and reliability of research through open peer review and data sharing practices.
• SciBoost Project: The SciBoost – Decentral Continuous Publication project aims to revolutionize how research findings are shared and accessed. It enhances openness in the scientific community by providing a transparent, accountable, and decentralized system, ensuring that all research findings, including minor and negative results, are accessible and continuously updated. This collaboration marks a significant milestone in merging traditional and decentralized science methods, with MPG and UCL leading the charge.

DeSci Germany

DeSci Germany is dedicated to applying Web3 principles to the scientific community, aiming to address potential gaps in the system and foster a new mindset in science. As a central hub and connector for DeSci initiatives in Germany, we are committed to advancing this cause and serving as a key anchor point for the global DeSci movement. Including building up a Knowledge Base for decentralized scientific collaboration and blockchain-driven projects from Germany, such as

• bloxberg 
  A blockchain-based infrastructure for scientific collaboration and verification. It aims to provide a secure, decentralized ledger for recording and verifying research data, ensuring the integrity and authenticity of scientific contributions.
• OpenSci
  An initiative designed to make scientific research more open, transparent, and accessible. OpenSci promotes the democratization of scientific knowledge, making it freely available for everyone, enhancing reproducibility and collaboration across the globe.
• SAIRA
  A decentralized platform for sharing and funding scientific research projects. SAIRA enables researchers to connect with potential funders and contributors, bypassing traditional funding bottlenecks, and offering a more equitable distribution of resources for innovative research.

Read more about DeSci Germany in the DeSci Germany Lightpaper.

Inform & Exchange

The Max Planck Decentralized Science Initiative will function as a dynamic two-way channel for the exchange of scientific information and influence. By actively engaging with the DeSci movement, the initiative aims to understand and shape its impact on the scientific landscape. Additionally, it will offer consultancy to MPG management and researchers, advising on innovative DeSci tools and methodologies that have the potential to enhance their scientific outcomes.

Contact

Head of the Max Planck Decentralized Science Initiative
Friederike Kleinfercher

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Software Licensing Service

To learn more about the service visit our Software Licensing Service Website*.

*only within MPG IP-range

What is bloxsearcher?

bloxsearcher is an emerging community platform for MPG researchers managed by the Max Planck Digital Library to provide comprehensive background information on why and how blockchain technology can generate added value for science. To start with, bloxsearcher aims to facilitate access to already existing decentralized applications. With a growing community, bloxsearcher’s goal is to bring scientists together to kick-start collaborative design of sustainable blockchain applications.

From Bitcoin to reputation

bloxsearcher builds on bloxberg, a secure global blockchain infrastructure, that was established in early 2019 by a consortium of renowned research organizations under the leadership of the MPDL to provide scientists with decentralized services and foster collaboration among the scientific community.
No matter whether you are blockchain-savvy or new to the field, want to explore the opportunities or start incorporating blockchain applications into your workflows. If you are interested to hear more about bloxberg, dedicated decentralized applications, and the bloxsearcher initiative – become part of an innovative and interdisciplinary community.

To join the community, subscribe to our newsletter, or for any bloxsearcher related questions, please contact the Diese E-Mail-Adresse ist vor Spambots geschützt! Zur Anzeige muss JavaScript eingeschaltet sein!.

und einen guten Rutsch in das neue Jahr 2020!

Since its foundation, MPDL works together with partners from the institutes and from outside the MPG to plan, specify, design, implement and manage software development projects. Having a main focus an data-centric web applications (visualizing, publishing, archiving data), MPDL has its strengths in project management, software quality assurance and unser interface optimisation, in web browsers as well as on mobile devices (including mobile apps). We use all common web and coding technologies and have outstanding expertise in database, file system, workflow, authentication/authorization, and transformation technologies.

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What is Labfolder?

Labfolder is the place to record, integrate and manage scientific data. With this electronic laboratory notebook (ELN) software researchers can handle the scientific documentation effortlessly with a lot of support for compliance with academic standards. Labfolder fully supports the Code of Conduct for Safeguarding Good Academic Practice. The Full Audit trail and the possibility of digital signatures ensure intellectual property and take care for data integrity.
Labfolder is characterized by an easy to handle rights and roles management. For example admin users are able to prevent group members from deleting entries or projects and are allowed to view group members’ lab notebooks. Labfolder makes it easy to create groups and subgroups, to define content share settings, to send messages within a group and to use comments to discuss data. Furthermore it is possible to assign tasks to group members.
It is not only possible to import PDF files, further processing of imported word or excel files can also be done within Labfolder. The integration of external apps like Figshare completes this ELN.

Labfolder for Max Planck researchers

The Max Planck licensing model for Labfolder includes two usage scenarios that try to cover the various and demanding requirements of our Max Planck Institutes.

(1) Local installation

Labfolder can be set up as an in-house service at the respective institute. Thereby the emerging data will be stored in locally operated server environments.

For using a local Labfolder installation Max Planck researchers need to contact the in-house IT department and/or library team on-site. Cooperations with researchers outside of Max Planck Society are possible, but are potentially limited by regulations of the respective Max Planck Institutes.

(2) Central installation

All Max Planck researchers have the possibility to use the central MPG Labfolder solution, which is operated by the Max Planck Digital Library (MPDL). The emerging data will be stored at the computer center GWDG in Göttingen, Germany.
The central installation offers possibilities for a better collaboration on research projects with various stakeholders from different Max Planck institutes, associated organizations, or joint research groups around the world.
For more information about the MPG Labfolder instance please contact the Diese E-Mail-Adresse ist vor Spambots geschützt! Zur Anzeige muss JavaScript eingeschaltet sein! at the MPDL.

To get to know more about labfolder in principle and discover all provided ELN features, please contact Diese E-Mail-Adresse ist vor Spambots geschützt! Zur Anzeige muss JavaScript eingeschaltet sein!, the Max Planck account manager at Labfolder.

Did you know that Max Planck researchers have access to more than 15,000 scientific journals? Negotiating with over 100 commercial publishers worldwide, we organize licensing, financing and access exclusively for you.

Access to journals and articles is provided invisibly through "on campus" authentication - no passwords required, no annoying login or paywall experiences. This service is called "MPDL Access Magic" which allows you to go to the publishers’ websites directly or use your preferred tools to search for individual articles such as Google, PubMed or Web of Science. If you like to look for a specific journal use the Electronic Journals Library (EZB). In addition, our recently launched research navigator MPG.ReNa provides you with an overview of information resources available at MPG including all licensed journal collections.

If you have any questions concerning access issues, license questions, IP address changes or questions about the MPG "Grundversorgung" ask our MPDL Access Magic Helpdesk.  

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A joint service portfolio of

Max Planck Computing & Data Facility (MPCDF)
Max Planck Digital Library (MPDL)

With our joint team and expertise of MPCDF and MPDL we support you and your research in addition to the IT staff at your MPI. Our specialists and our management operate in close cooperation to provide you with the best scientific application service – especially for the planning and realization of large projects requiring a broad range of services and facilities.
We assist in finding financing solutions for your next great plan. Our joint support will be led by a single, project-specific person from one of us.

Click on our interactive map: 

Contact us – we are looking forward to working with you:
Hotline (Monday to Friday 7:00-19:00)
+49 (0) 89 909311-243
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The MPDL offers advice and support in research data management. We help to create data management plans for project proposals, we have competency in metadata standards needed for the long-term archival of research data and we assist in converting data to commonly accepted formats.

We support researchers in finding suitable data repositories and offer possibilities to store research data in a nicely presented, citable, and reusable way.

Contact: Yves Vincent Grossmann

More Info: RDM-Website

Eine wichtige Aufgabe der MPDL besteht darin, den Wissenschaftlerinnen und Wissenschaftlern an den Max-Planck-Instituten alle relevanten elektronischen Informationsressourcen des institutsübergreifenden Bedarfs optimal zur Verfügung zu stellen. Dies geschieht in Zusammenarbeit mit den lokalen Bibliotheken. Die folgenden Informationen richten sich insbesondere an die Kolleginnen und Kollegen an den lokalen Bibliotheken in der Max-Planck-Gesellschaft.

• Was ist die Grundversorgung?

Allgemeine Informationen, Akteure

• Kommunikation

Mailinglisten, Liste der Bibliotheken und Serviceeinrichtungen

• Ressourcen

Übersicht über lizenzierte Produkte, Titellisten, Nutzungsbedingungen, Nutzungsstatistiken

• Erwerbung

Bedarfserhebungen, Wunschliste, E-Book-Einzeltitelerwerb, Normen, DDP-Konditionen, National- und Allianzlizenzen

• Authentifizierung und Registrierung

MPDL Access Magic (IP-Zugang, EZProxy), Produkte mit speziellen Anmeldeverfahren (CAS SciFinder, iThenticate)

• Zugangssysteme

Bibliothekssysteme, EZB, E-Books-Katalog, MPG Bibliothekskataloge, MPG.ReNa, MPG/SFX

• Open Access für Bibliotheken

Allgemeine Infos, Open Access Rahmenverträge (OA Publishing), Open Access Archiving (Zweitveröffentlichungsrecht etc.)

The MPDL Access Magic Helpdesk takes care of all your concerns about access issues, license questions, IP address changes and consulting around all the information services included in the "Grundversorgung" of the MPG. We work with more than 150 publishers to resolve issues.

The MPDL Access Magic Helpdesk can be reached at Diese E-Mail-Adresse ist vor Spambots geschützt! Zur Anzeige muss JavaScript eingeschaltet sein!.

MPDL creates custom reports for specific decsion making processes concerning the MPG information environment. Based on comprehensive and multi-variate approaches, we identify and collect target-specific financial, usage and structural information, analyze the data and visualize the results. As a result, insights are created into researcher information preferences, publisher relevance, information usage patterns and cost effectiveness.

Contact: Margit Palzenberger (MPDL)

The Research Information Observatory (RIO) aims at establishing a technical and operational framework for large bibliographic datasets and other forms of citation intelligence in order to support subject specialists in the MPG to perform their bibliometric analyses and research assessments.

MPDL provides an easy to use interface to the processed bibliometric data and is responsible for the operation of the framework including the necessary documentation. Developed together with a core group of MPG subject specialists, the project is currently building up.

Contact: Margit Palzenberger (MPDL)

The Max Planck Society grows continuously as a successful research organization - like an "MPG City" harboring various research institutes and expanding infrastructure.
Within this city, there are many service institutions for all Max Planck Institutes and their research. Our "MPG City Service" guides you through this town and helps you find the right contact person for your needs. We support you and your plans with information about what MPG offers regarding digital services, research data management, and scientific tools.

Projekt Koordinator: MPI für Bildungsforschung, Berlin

Partner

• MPI für Bildungsforschung, Berlin
• MPI für Kognitions- und Neurowissenschaften, Leipzig
• MPI für Psycholinguistik, Nijmegen

Laufzeit: 01.02.2013 – 31.01.2015

Projektbeschreibung:
Hirnforschung findet immer größere Aufmerksamkeit in der Presse. Um fundierte Aussagen über die Funktionsweise des menschlichen Gehirns treffen zu können, bedarf es an qualitativen Daten und oft auch einer großen Anzahl an Beispielen für Vergleiche. Daten aus den Neurowissenschaften sind nicht nur äußerst heterogen sondern auch sehr verteilt, so dass Institute der Max-Planck-Gesellschaft vielfach nicht von Experimenten an anderen Standorten profitieren können. Das Projekt OpenBILD konzentriert sich auf Anpassungen der Open Source Plattform XNAT , um Wissenschaftlern aus den Neurowissenschaften das Archivieren und Austauschen von Daten zu ermöglichen. Gleichzeitig werden Werkzeuge für automatische Qualitätskontrollen als auch für das Vorbereiten der Daten zur Verfügung gestellt.

Die Heterogenität der Daten wird sichtbar, wenn man die verschiedenen Datentypen genauer betrachtet. So finden sich unter den Daten der Wissenschaftler neben Bilddaten im sogenannten DICOM Format aus den MRT Scannern auch demographische, sozioökologische, psychologische, verhaltensbezogene, medizinische und genetische Informationen in den unterschiedlichsten Formaten. Um die Untersuchung der umfangreichen Bestände auch in Zukunft zu gewährleisten, ist die Entwicklung bzw. Nutzung einer Ontologie geplant. Die im Rahmen der Ontologie definierten Konzepte und Beziehungen dienen dazu, Suchen und Browsen der Daten deutlich zu verbessern.

Um eine nutzbare Plattform für die Wissenschaftler schaffen zu können, müssen ihre Bedürfnisse, ihre verwendeten Datenformate und Workflows im Detail bekannt sein. Der Austausch mit den Neurowissenschaftlern ist für die Entwicklungen in OpenBILD daher von großer Bedeutung. Zur Gewährleistung des Austausches pendelt einer der Entwickler in einem ersten Schritt kontinuierlich zwischen den Institutsstandorten Berlin und Leipzig. Gleichzeig wird der Austausch mit der Open Source Community vorangetrieben, da die Weiterentwicklung der XNAT Plattform selbst sinnvoller Weise in Gemeinsamkeit mit der genannten Community erfolgt. Auf diese Weise profitiert das Projekt von Entwicklungen, die aus den Reihen der Community stammen. Anpassungen der Software, die nur für die Institute relevant sind, werden separat entwickelt und können dann als Modul später mit dem aktuellsten Release der XNAT Anwendung integriert werden.

Im Laufe des Projektes wird die MPDL die Fähigkeit aufbauen, Support für die bestehenden Installationen als auch eine Beratung für weitere interessierte Institutionen anbieten zu können. Dazu findet ein systematischer Wissenstransfer von den Projektteilnehmern zur MPDL statt, insbesondere durch Dokumentation, Videokonferenzen, Face-to-Face-Treffen und eine enge Zusammenarbeit zwischen den Entwicklern sowie den Projektkoordinatoren. Die MPDL akkumuliert dabei das Wissen der verschiedenen Projektteilnehmer. Als Grundlage für den späteren Betrieb werden die Institute mit Unterstützung der MPDL ein Nachhaltigkeits- und Finanzierungskonzept erarbeiten.

• eXtensible Neuroimaging Archive Toolkit
• Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine
• Magnetresonanztomographie

The MPDL migration team supports you and your library migrating to the central Max Planck Publication Repository MPG.PuRe. We extract and convert publication data from systems at the end of their lifecycle. We convert data streams from various sources in a single well-defined format. Over the last 5 years we have successfully supported more than 40 institutes with their migration challenges.

Migration from eDoc to MPG.PuRe

Procedure for migration from eDoc to MPG.PuRe

Migration from from other sources

Migration from Endnote, BibTeX and other non-eDoc sources have become standard procedures for us.Please contact us for further information and a discussion of your special needs.

Contact and further information: Martin Boosen (MPDL)

MPDL continuously improves conditions for more intuitive, more flexible and more reliable information access. Numerous software products and information resources are employed to support a seamless service to researchers. We work with various vendors as well as user communities on top management and operational employee level to monitor and influence upcoming developments for the benefit of MPG users.

Contact: Ralf Schimmer (MPDL)

MPDL collaborates with national and international partners to broaden the scope of and to improve the accessibility to electronic resources for MPG researchers. These collaborations are very valuable for successful licensing negotiations. On the national level, members of MPDL participate in different working groups of the Alliance Initiative and are present in the GASCO (the German, Austrian and Swiss Consortia Organisation). On an international level, MPDL is a member of the ICOLC (International Consortium of Library Consortia).

Contact: Ralf Schimmer (MPDL)

Maximize your library's efficiency

The Aleph integrated library system (ILS) with its efficient and user-friendly tools is currently used by 40 research libraries within the MPG to accommodate the daily demands of their researchers. Aleph supports the complete workflow of a modern, user-centered research library. This includes catalog enrichment, acquisition, serials control, loan, inter library loan, web-based search interface. The system configuration can be tailored to meet virtually any library policy or procedure, enabling the creation of unique policies and workflows. The service is hosted and maintained by GWDG. GWDG supports MPG Librarians with regards to system configuration and optimization. Aleph is an integrated library system (ILS) by Ex Libris. Since 2000 the Max Planck Society and the GWDG have been running a central Aleph server for MPI libraries.

The forty instances do not share a common database (no library consortia), but are quite independent in their setup.

MPDL is responsible for licensing matters. Hosting, support, and central system librarians' tasks are done by GWDG. System librarians in the MPIs take care of their libraries' individual setup and, in a joint working group, of a standardized setup for those libraries wishing their setup to be maintained centrally. Another working group develops and keeps up to date a corporate design for the Aleph OPAC.

The Aleph team is a group of MPI librarians and members of MPDL and GWDG. They meet about twice a year to discuss different topics, e.g. ongoing developments, the roll out of software upgrades and the participation of the partners in national and international Aleph user groups. The Aleph Team issues a bi-monthly Newsletter informing the librarians of its ongoing work. Discussion and documentation tool for the work of the Aleph team ist the Aleph Wiki. General information on the MPS Aleph Server is available. (Note: Some of the links in this article lead to the Aleph Wiki to which access is restricted to members of MPS and GWDG.)

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Our aim is to make Open Access publishing as easy as possible for Max Planck authors. This information provides an overview of the Max Planck wide arrangements by which open access article charges (APCs) are covered or reduced. To make the most of this opportunity, Max Planck authors will be prompted to choose the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) in the manuscript submission or acceptance process, automatically. You can find further information on CC licenses here:

• Why should I choose the open CC BY license for my article?

Search for a specific journal to find out whether APCs are covered here:

• MPG OA Journal Finder

Please note that there are many more relevant Open Access journals, including those not raising any article charges. A complete overview is available in the:

• Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ)

How to benefit from central funding?

To be eligible, Max Planck affiliated authors must be corresponding author of the publication and the Max Planck affiliation must be stated in the published paper. For some agreements, eligible authors must also be submitting author. Specific criteria are listed below for each publisher. Please use your Max Planck email address at all stages of the publishing process if possible to support automated identification processes from the publishers.

Open Access agreements (Article charges covered centrally by MPDL)

Open Access Monograph Publishing

Further related terms and conditions for Max Planck Authors (without central funding)

The following table shows special terms and conditions for Max Planck authors beyond our central agreements where no central funding is provided.

Any journal or publisher missing?

In case you are in need of funding for open access publication charges for a specific journal or publisher, please contact us. We strive for further agreements with publishers where we see a shared demand from Max Planck authors. Please note that we cannot reimburse individual invoices. In that case, your institute or local library may provide further funding opportunities.

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Open Access Publishing

also called “Gold” Open Access

means publishing in a genuine Open Access journal which ensures immediate free access to all articles at the very moment of publication. Copyright will remain with the authors while a public license (usually Creative Commons license CC-BY) is applied to the article. Many Open Access “Gold” journals require payment of „article processing charges“ (APCs) to replace the subscription charges which were traditionally paid by libraries. MPDL strives to cover APCs for Max Planck authors by setting up agreements with Open Access publishers. Learn more about our central agreements.

Open Access Archiving

also called “Green” Open Access

means that the published article or the final peer reviewed manuscript is archived (deposited) by the author or a representative in an online repository before, alongside or after its publication. Self-archiving regulations differ between publisher’s. Normally authors have to check their publishing agreement to find out whether self-archiving is allowed.

Since 2014 German copyright law has allowed authors of research publications at non-university research institutes to re-publish their papers 12 months after the original publication in a manuscript format. This right cannot be rescinded by any publishing agreement.

MPDL supports Open Access Archiving by providing the institutional repository MPG.PuRe.

For questions on Open Access contact: Diese E-Mail-Adresse ist vor Spambots geschützt! Zur Anzeige muss JavaScript eingeschaltet sein!

Schauen Sie sich einfach um. Wenn Sie in der folgenden Liste nicht fündig werden oder Fragen haben, können Sie uns gerne jederzeit kontaktieren.

Für alle Services gelten die allgemeinen Nutzungsbedingungen der Max Planck Digital Library.